


Beasts and Monsters

by MistressMistrust



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV), daryl dixon - Fandom
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Badass female character, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Strong Female Characters, possible triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-04-21 17:39:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 162,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14289978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressMistrust/pseuds/MistressMistrust
Summary: Having lost her entire group, Lena finds herself alone in a crumbling world watched through darkened eyes. She is courageous, savage and uncomplicated. Her only companions being an obedient horse and two pet Walkers. When she finds herself outside a prison, inside the walls she finds a group of survivors capable of giving her a glimmer of hope.She wonders about the fire in his eyes and the way his fingers move and she knows she is slowly starting an intense series of almost interactions, ready to complicate everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second Daryl Dixon Fan Fic. I only write for fun and love to read feedback and ideas for what readers would like to see happen. 
> 
> I am also looking for artists that would be willing to put together an image of my OC for me, let me know if you can help. 
> 
> My OC's in my Fics are very strong, capable women. I love writing strong females! Any readers of my other fic 'Crossbows and Lockpicks' may notice some similarities between my OC's, they aren't the same but may possess the same strengths :)
> 
> Anyway, I loved writing this first chapter, so thanks in advance for reading, let me know what you think.

[Mood Board/ Inspiration for this Fan Fic can be found here](https://xmistressmistrustx.tumblr.com/post/177936880535/mood-board-inspiration-for-my-daryl-dixon-fan-fic)

Daryl took another drag of his cigarette and scanned the horizon. The pink and purple hues in the sky making the scene look like some kind of water color creation, beautiful in its own right and one of the last things left in the world that was both a sight to behold and completely harmless. He could hear the consistent growling of one or two walkers below, staggering along the outer perimeter fence. As long as they didn’t start to multiply, they posed little to no threat to the remaining living souls inside the prison walls.

He had been up in the guard tower for around an hour, having taken over from Glenn. He found a quiet solace in guard duty, being able to enjoy his own company, smoke his cigarettes and watch as the sky darkened. He sat on the walkway that surrounded the tower, on a rickety plastic chair with his feet up on the metal rungs. His crossbow lay across his lap as he puffed out small clouds of smoke from his lungs.

Rustling from the trees below caught his attention and he lifted a leg, glancing quickly down into the tree line below. Seeing nothing, he put his leg back and reclined slightly on his chair, ensuring not to go to far as the chairs weak, plastic legs would probably not allow it. It had been a couple of weeks since the groups arrival at the prison. They had spent days looking for a new place to settle after the Greenes’ farm was overrun by Walkers and they found themselves back on the road and searching for shelter once again. Their group had grown, they had more mouths to feed but the prison had provided them with solid walls and a chance to set up somewhere more permanent.

The rustling sounded up from below again. This time he stood and peered over the edge, seeing the bushes move the way they would if a large animal were pushing through them. He squinted and tried to focus on the direction of the sound. He lifted his crossbow, placing it on top of the metal railings and waited. More rustling and the sound of gentle thudding upon the ground. He remained completely still, watching, waiting.

Then he saw it, the horses head emerge slowly from the leaves. It’s black coat glistening in the dusky light and its scraggly mane hanging down one side. It was wearing a bridle which was being held by two, partially gloved hands. Daryl raced to the back of the guard tower and scanned the yard for Rick, who he spotted laid flat on a bench. Daryl shoved two fingers in his mouth and blew, emitting a loud, high pitched whistle that snapped Rick from his slumber and sent him sprinting towards the guard tower. He stopped below and looked up. Daryl held a finger to his lips in a ‘hush’ motion, before climbing down to the bottom.

“What is it?” Rick asked

“There’s a damn horse the other side of the fence” Daryl responded.

Rick looked at him quizzically, his dark, wavy hair releasing a lone curl that dangled down his forehead. Rick was the leader of the group. He had been a sheriff before the world went bad and had managed to maintain his authority, protecting his people and his family. Daryl, who once upon a time, had hated Rick with a passion, now worked alongside him as his foot soldier and brother in arms, trusting him completely to make all the right decisions, mainly because it meant he didn’t have to.

“What?!” Rick exclaimed.

“There’s a horse. Someone’s on the back of it. I couldn’t see from up there though”.

The two of them crept silently towards the area of the fence where Daryl had spotted the unusual visitor, both motioning in occasional hand signals and communicating their plan. As They both rounded the outer wall of the guard tower, Daryl sprang out first, crossbow raised. While Rick followed, skirting around him and approaching from the other side, aiming his revolver.

Rick attempted to adjust his eyes in the now rapidly dimming light. Surprised to see that Daryl wasn’t mistaken. There, standing in the tree line was a large, black horse. Its reins being clutched by a pair of partially black-gloved hands.

“Show yourself. Slowly!” Rick shouted.

The horse stirred but remained calm. It stepped out of the shrouded darkness, revealing its rider. A mysterious, dark figure sat atop of it, remaining silent and still. Rick could make out a long, tattered brown coat, black sleeveless gloves, thick black pants and knee-length, black, lace up boots. The strangers head was covered in a heavily draped hood which obscured their entire face other than a brown bandana around their chin and nose. There were two handles protruding from behind each shoulder. Rick guessed these had to be some kind of blades, but the handles looked like bones. The back of the horse was covered by what appeared to be a large piece of thick fabric, completely covered in Walker guts. The smell stung Daryl’s nose.

“Show ya face” He snapped.

Their visitor moved graciously with no sudden movements. Gradually bringing their arms up to their head and pushing the hood back to reveal a pair of bright green eyes and a head full of dark brown hair, some of it in thin braids and peppered with small, silver beads. Her eyes were stoic, calm and focused.

“Good Evening, gentlemen.” She said. Her voice was firm and polite, a mixture of accents.

“I would strongly advise against discharging those weapons in my direction”

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Daryl growled.

She tilted her head to the side, regarding him like her were a small bug on the floor.

“Because If you do, I will be forced to execute both of you in front of the innocent eyes of the child that is watching you from the door of the cell block you live in.” She answered, matter-of-factly.

Rick glanced back at the cellblock, seeing his son, Carl peering around the fencing that led to the door of the block. “Who are you?” He asked, his attention returning to the stranger.

“My name is Lena. This is Cleo” She said, motioning to the horse. She lightly tapped its sides with her boots, urging it to step forwards again. Daryl could see that not only did Cleo have a bridle, and reins, she also sported a kind of thick leather amour around her lower neck and shoulders to protect her from biters.

Two Walkers trudged out of the bushes behind the horse, one male and one female and stood obediently on either side of the large animal, a length of rope attached to each of their torso’s, wrapped around them like harnesses. The other end of the ropes, were attached to Cleo’s saddle somehow. Lena’s long, brown coat covered the entire saddle, and reached down to just above her knees. The Walkers growled quietly and swayed from side to side but did not move any further. Their bottom jaws had been removed as well as their lower arms. They carried large, heavy bags on their backs.

“This is Bonnie and Clyde”

Daryl lunched forwards and aimed his crossbow at the nearest Walker only to be met with a loud, quick sweeping noise as Lena swept her coat aside, the fabric spiraling up in a semi-circle to reveal a Glock 17 pistol with a silencer, light and laser that was soon pointed at his face in one, swift motion.

“Those are my property. Kill them, and I’ll shoot you between the eyes. Do you understand?” She said.

Rick held a hand out in front of Daryl, motioning for him to stop, he stepped back but still had his crossbow trained in the direction of the Walker nearest to him. The sight of the two Walkers was a bizarre and alarming one and Rick was puzzled by her desire to protect them.

“What are your names?” She enquired. Daryl looked over at Rick who had lowered his gun slightly.

“We’re not doing names until you tell us what you want” He said with an authoritative tone.

Lena smiled under her bandana and sighed, she knew she would come up against some opposition once she revealed herself to this group, but it was almost amusing to her how it was playing out.

“I want what everyone wants” She said, removing the fabric from her face. “A roof over my head. Strong, safe walls and a place to grow food.”

Daryl noticed a lip ring in the middle of her bottom lip. She was unusual looking, not unattractive, but unique and unlike anyone he’d seen since well before the world went bad. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anyone that looked like her. She looked down at him through the crisscrossed wire of the fencing.

“Hey, Crossbow? Drop it. I’m warning you.” She spat as she flickered her eyes down to the gun in her hand. Daryl looked at Rick, who nodded at him. He lowered the weapon and shot her an irritated look. She did the same, holstering her gun and returning her attention to Rick.

“You’re their leader.” She flicked her head up at Rick. “You haven’t cleared all the cellblocks in there. Let me in, and I’ll clear them myself.”

Rick studied her face, her composure never faltering for a second. The large, black horse under her was remarkably well behaved and quiet, occasionally stretching it’s head out and pulling on the reins or nibbling on the grass below it. Daryl caught his eye again, a silent message passing between the two of them.

“How many Walkers have you killed?” Rick asked.

Lena huffed subtly in amusement.

“Lost count once I hit triple digits”

“How many people have you killed?” Rick continued.

She hesitated for a moment.

“Twenty-seven”  
She saw Daryl flinch at her response from her corner of her eye.

“Why?” He questioned

She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts and quelling the simmering rage that recalling the reason provoked.

“I was part of a group. Six of us, all female. They were all taken. Raped and murdered by a large cult of brainwashed, fanatics holed up in an abandoned warehouse. They were preparing to eat the bodies when I arrived. So, I massacred them. All of them.”

Daryl and Rick both gawped at her, the casual tone of her voice as she told her story sending a chill through Rick’s spine. He looked behind him again, relieved to see that Carl had now gone inside.

Daryl tapped Ricks arm as he paced further back from the gate, his body turned slightly away from Lena to avoid her being able to hear him.

“What do ya think?” He whispered.

“I don’t know, man” Rick mused.

“She shows up outta nowhere, with a damn horse and two pet Walkers. She knows about us, about this place. Somethin’s off. I don’t like this.” Daryl admitted. Rick holstered his gun and placed his hands on his hips. The two men continued to converse in hushed voices while Lena looked on, thinking how they looked like two boys in a school yard discussing who was going to fall victim to their mischief next. Eventually, they returned to the fence.

“If we let you in here, you have to surrender your weapons.” Rick said.

Lena’s eyes narrowed.

“I will surrender my firearms. My blades stay with me.”

“So ya can gut one of us like a fish the second ya get in here? Nah, blades too.” Daryl ordered.

Lena’s face didn’t change at all. Her expression still almost blank but with a quiet confidence.

“I’ll not surrender my blades unless you also surrender yours. Throw them in between the two fences.” She offered.

Daryl huffed loudly and Rick shook his head.

“Not going to happen” He said.

“Then I believe we will just have to trust one another.” She finally smiled and waited patiently for a response.

“Fine.” Rick finally said. “We open the gate, you walk through. Give your guns to Daryl and keep your hands where we can see them. You can keep the blades but any sudden moves and I will shoot you.”

Lena nodded politely. “I knew you were a reasonable man” She said smugly as she gently squeezed Cleo in the side and pulled on the right rein, steering the horse to the gate.

She stopped a few metres from it and dismounted. Her long coat flooding over her like a heavy blanket. Daryl could now see a large metal ring at the back of the horse’s saddle which the Walkers ropes were tied to. She approached the gate, leading the horse with her.

“I will be bringing Cleo and the mules inside. There is no negotiating this. She is a valuable asset to me and my loyal companion. These two…” She gestured behind her to the two Walkers. “Took me a long time to perfect. They stay with Cleo”

“OK” Rick agreed, giving Daryl a signal to open the gate. It rumbled open and Lena led Cleo, Bonnie and Clyde inside, stopping in front of Rick, who had slowly walked backwards in front of her in order to keep a close eye on her.

She offered him the reins of the horse and he accepted, Cleo thumped onto the grass at the side of them followed by the Walker pair. Rick fastened the reins to a post and returned to Lena, who was now being watched closely by Daryl. Her hands were by her sides and she was stood bolt upright. Each leg donned two harnesses with pockets and gun holsters. The air was thick with tension, something that wasn’t lost on Lena, who was a master of managing to remain calm in dangerous situations.

“Guns, now” Daryl barked at her. She unholstered the pistol from her side and held it out to him, handle first. He snatched it from her and glanced down at it, turning it over in his hand before shoving it in the back of his jeans.

“Arms up” he said as he went to pat her down. She jolted away from him, whipping a small knife from her sleeve and pointing it at him, a stab of defensive panic sparked through her.

“No one touches me. I can surrender my weapons without being touched.” She growled.

“We ‘sposed to just trust that ya aint hidin any surprises?” Daryl spat back.

“Alright” Rick said, holding up his palms to her in a show of submission.

She lifted a hand and tapped one of the bone handled swords holstered behind her back. “This is what happened to the last guy that tried to fuck with me”

Daryl screwed his face up in disgust. “What the hell?!”

“Alright” Rick said again “No one will touch you”

Lena slipped the knife into one of the harnesses on her leg and slowly removed her sword holster, a leather contraption that covered most of her back and hooked over her shoulders. She dropped it to the floor and took off her coat, handing Daryl two more pistols from her belt. Her arms also contained leather straps that housed more sharp objects. She was a one woman-arsenal, a deadly unexpected threat to those that tried to take anything from her. Her tight, knitted sweater was ripped and revealed a black layer beneath. She picked up her swords and shrugged the holster back on. The tension in the air was starting to subside, albeit slowly.

“Crossbow” She said, looking at Daryl. “Remember, those are my firearms. I want them back. If they happen to disappear, so will you”.

Daryl scoffed and shifted his stance.

“You got some sack on you” He mumbled, admittedly a little impressed.


	2. Chapter 2

Lena was a patient person, so patient in fact that she waited, locked in a cell for over an hour until Rick and the group decided what to do with her. She slumped with her back against the wall on the rickety, metal framed bunk bed and played with the frayed ends of her ripped sweater. She had anticipated a frosty reception at best and while the situation had been somewhat awkward and mildly irritating, at least she was now inside some solid walls without the threat of being eaten alive. Now, she just had the threat of being shot in the head by a bunch of people that didn’t trust her. She had to laugh at the irony of it all. Run from the dead, straight into the arms of the living, who were actually capable of so much worse. 

The sound of keys jangling outside her cell caught her attention and she swung her legs over the bed, perching on the side while she pulled her coat and sword holster on. Daryl appeared at the door and glared at her. 

“Crossbow” She nodded once at him as a greeting. 

He pulled a length of rope from his pocket. 

“Turn around. Arms behind ya back, step back to the bars.” He instructed.

She did as he asked and he reached through the bars to bind her hands behind her back. She immediately began to think of ways she could get her hands free, should she need to, a million ideas popped into her head as her mind raced through the possible outcomes, although she clung onto the hope that these people seemed decent enough in the time she had been watching them. His fingers brushed her wrists and he roughly yanked on the rope as his eyes lifted to her shoulders and hair, partially dreaded. Her tight knife holsters along her forearms still hid small but effective blades but at least now she was unable to get to them. She looked strong, capable enough and he wondered if she really was as dangerous as she was making out. Feeling his hands drop away, she turned around and shot him a steady, determined glare.

“Keep your redneck hands to yourself.” She uttered. 

He inhaled, puffing his chest out and looking down his nose at her. “You better watch your mouth, Sunshine” He warned.

Her eyebrow lifted as a slow, sinister grin emerged on her face, revealing a row of perfectly straight, well looked after teeth. He tightened his jaw in frustration and twisted the key and unlocked the cell, pulling the door open and standing to the side. Lena slowly stepped out of the cell, not bothering to move out of his personal space. She glanced to her side at him and noticed him step backwards, giving her a wide berth, but still close enough to grab a hold of the rope that tied her wrists. 

 

They emerged into a large, communal area with metal tables and chairs fixed to the floor. The room was dingy but secure. She made a mental note of her exit routes as Daryl slammed her down into a chair in front of Rick, and three others. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and glanced from one person to the other, tilting her head back and examining them all as her eyes passed over them, assessing their possible capabilities. A middle-aged woman with pixie cut grey hair, a younger, Asian male, another much older male with a white beard and Python and Crossbow. 

Rick sat down in front of her while the others sat on various tables and chairs behind him. Daryl skulked back and forth in the background. Lena’s heart rate was normal, her breathing steady and her mind focused. She wasn’t worried. Not in the slightest. 

“We need to ask you some questions” Rick said. 

“More questions. Maybe I have some of my own” She stated. 

“You can ask what you want once we’re done here” He said “You turned up here with an arsenal strapped to your body. Where did you get all of those weapons?”

She looked from one person to the next, ready to take in their reactions. 

“I told you. I killed the people that violated and murdered my friends. They were well equipped. A little low down on the intelligence scale, but heavily armed and in possession of some useful things. I just took my pick” 

Rick’s brow furrowed and the middle-aged woman, leaned forwards on the table she was sat on. 

“Rick said you killed twenty-seven people. You took them all on, alone?” She asked. 

“Yes” Lena replied, looking her right in the eyes. “Rage is a productive tool, once you know how to hone it”

The woman blinked rapidly and sat back, taking a deep breath. Lena remained calm despite the painful memories of that day swirling around in the back of her mind.  
“How did you end up here?” Rick probed. 

“I was watching you all. For around ten days from the trees surrounding the prison. I could see right into the yard.”

Rick glanced over his shoulder to the others, giving them a slightly concerned look that someone was able to watch their every move without their knowledge. 

“Bullshit. I would have noticed her out there when I was huntin’” Daryl piped up from the back of the room. His eyes trained on her as he angrily paced back and forth. 

“But you didn’t.” She said cheerily. “I noticed you though. Three days ago, you brought back three squirrels and a rabbit. Impressive hunting skills I might add, you just need to look up more often” She flashed him the same sinister grin as before, making his blood boil. 

The Asian man hopped down from the table he was sat on and sat next to Rick. 

“Glenn, right?” She said. His eyes widened as he looked from her to Rick. 

“How do-“

“Have we not put the pieces of the puzzle together yet? I told you. I’d been watching you. I know all of your names.” She explained. 

She looked at the Middle-aged woman. “You’re Carol. You, over there…” She nodded in the direction of the much older man.

“…Hershel, your daughters are called Maggie and Beth. You…” She looked back at Glenn “Oh wait, we already did you.” 

Her eyes moved to Rick. “Head honcho here is called Rick. Your son is Carl and there’s a baby somewhere around here, although the name escapes me. You’ve also got a mighty fine Python pistol that I would very much like to play with once you’ve realized I pose no threat to any of you provided you’re decent enough to me”

Daryl scoffed loudly from the back, having stopped in his tracks. 

“What’s wrong…Daryl?” She sneered “Pissed that I got you all figured out?”

Daryl ignored her prodding while rick ran a hand down his face and looked at the others over his shoulder once more. 

“If you know all about us, why did you ask us our names at the gate?” he said 

She shrugged “Needed to see how forthcoming you were. If you told me your real names off the bat, I’d have known that you were dumb as shit and getting in would be easy. Congratulations, you passed the test, you’re doing the right thing by your people” 

“I don’t like her.” Daryl snapped. “I say we throw her back outside the gate, keep the horse and shoot them freaky ass Walker slaves she’s got.” 

“Wait” Said Hershel, holding a hand to hush Daryl as he moved further into Lena’s sight line. 

“Young lady, how do you know we won’t turn out to be like the people you killed?”

“For as long as I’ve watched you all, I’ve been able to see that there is a distinct lack of alarmingly pale skin and shaking hands here. I’ve witnessed Daryl bringing back food almost every day and you’re growing crops outside. You don’t have prisoners, well, except me now and I haven’t seen any large buckets of limbs and meat hooks.” She answered. 

“You are correct, we are not cannibals. Now, answer me this one, simple question; are you intending to hurt any of us?”

Lena sighed and tilted her head at him. 

“If I wanted to do that. Crossbow and Python here would be dead by now. In fact, I could have killed you all from my tree top vantage point two weeks ago and taken this place. I have already expressed that my interest in this prison is merely for a safer living situation. I’m happy to live away from all of you if that’s the way it has to be, but human’s…we’re not meant to live solitary lives. We’re not designed and programmed that way, so I’d been looking for other people for that reason. I said I would clear a cellblock myself. That offer still stands. ”

Hershel thought for a moment before addressing Rick. 

“You wanted my opinion. I don’t think she’s a threat. I have no doubt she is extremely smart and quite dangerous, but I believe her intentions towards us, towards this group… are truthful” He said. 

“Me too” Carol said from behind them. “Woman’s intuition”.

Lena suddenly felt a bit like an animal in a zoo, being spoken about rather than directly addressed, but it was the price she had to pay for what was becoming an incredibly slow process. 

“She has skills we could use.” Glenn said. “You said yourself she turned up with an arsenal of weapons.” 

“This is bullshit” She heard Daryl rage behind everyone. 

Then the room fell quiet as everyone waited for their leader to make a decision. Lena’s eyes locked on Ricks. 

“I’m not going to hurt anyone unless they hurt me. You have my word and a person is only as good as their word.” She said. 

He got to his feet and slid his knife from his belt. Walking behind her, he leaned down and cut the rope that bound her wrists. She brought her hands around to her front, feeling both a sense of relief and triumph as she rubbed at the reddened skin. 

“I’ll give you a chance. You clear the next block and live in there, away from the group for the time being. But you’ll pull your weight like everyone else. For your sake, I hope you’re being truthful with me.” He said, looking down at her. She stood and looked right into his face. 

“Thank you” She said gracefully before looking at the others and smiling at the one by one. All but Daryl, who was now sat with his back to everyone, picking over his crossbow. 

“In order for me to clear the next cellblock, I’ll need my firearms back” She said, returning her gaze to Rick. 

He hesitated before nodding slightly. “Daryl will take you back to the guard tower, your guns are there. He will also help you clear the cellblock.”

“What?!” Daryl piped up “Have you lost ya damn mind? Girl rides up in here like Zorro, pointing a damn gun in my face and now I gotta risk my life so she can live all chilled in the next block?! Nah!”

“I’ll help” Said Carol, shrugging her shoulders. 

“Me too” Glenn added. 

Lena was surprised at their willingness to put themselves in harms way, but she reminded herself that there was a reason she had chosen this group and there was probably also a reason that Rick had chosen Daryl, of all people to help her. 

“Ahh shit. Fine. I’ll do it” Daryl snapped, not wanting to see Glenn or Carol put at risk. 

“I really don’t need any help” Lena assured Rick, knowing exactly why he wanted someone to go with her and knowing why it was going to be Daryl. He was about to test her by sending the most capable fighter aside from himself, into a situation in which she could potentially kill him and blame the Walkers. 

“Daryl will go with you” He said firmly. She admired the faith he seemed to have in his right-hand man not to get killed. 

 

Darkness had now fallen outside as Lena and Daryl walked across the yard to the guard tower. Not one word was exchanged in the few minutes it took them to reach their destination. As Daryl went to enter the tower, Lena stopped and waited. He shot her a confused look before shrugging and heading inside. 

When he returned, Lena was on the grass with Cleo’s large head cradled in her arms. She smoothed over the short fur of the horse’s neck and was whispering softly to her. She had removed the guts covered armor from her rear and the leather brace from her neck and placed them in a pile on the floor along with her saddle and bridle. Daryl watched, his arms full of guns as she moved away from the horse and approached the Walkers. Although the animal wasn’t tied to anything, it dutifully remained in it’s spot, nibbling on the grass and flicking flies from it’s body with it’s tail. 

Lena unzipped a large bag on the back of Clyde, pulling out a sack and length of rope and ruffling the corpses hair affectionately in thanks. The Walker didn’t even try to lunge at her, it’s lifeless, blank face staring forwards. Coming back to the horse, Lena rolled the sides of the sack down and placed it on the floor. Cleo snuffled along the floor, eventually finding the sack and beginning to munch on the contents as Lena looped the rope around her neck, fastening the other end to a metal post by the gate. She did the same with the two ropes attached to her Walkers to prevent them from wandering and being shot and started back towards Daryl, stopping to plant a light kiss on Cleo’s neck.  
Daryl handed her the large Pistol with the silencer first. She took it and turned it over in her hands before sliding it into it’s holster. He then handed her the rest of her guns one by one, watching as she strapped them to almost every part of her. When she was done, she adjusted the bandana around her neck, ensuring it was ready to be pulled up when she entered the next cellblock. 

“Wait here” He suddenly said, walking swiftly away from her, towards the side of the building.

It was too dark to see what he was doing, so Lena leaned against the guard tower and looked over at Cleo, who was busying herself by switching between her food and the grass. Lena smiled at the sight. Her faithful companion right from the start, she never made a peep, never startled and ran and had listened to months of her mindless chatter in some of her most desperately lonely moments.  
A sloshing sound snapped her from her reminiscing and she stood back up to see Daryl making his way across the yard with a large bucket of water clutched to his chest. His big, toned arms being put to good use. He bypassed her and carried on to Cleo, who slowly backed away as he approached. He placed the bucket on the side of the grass next to her food and paused to look at her. Cleo cautiously edged towards him, sniffing as she went and keeping her head low. 

“S’ok, girl. I aint gonna hurt ya. C’mon” he cooed. He swooped down and grabbed a handful of horse feed from the sack and held his hand out flat to a curious Cleo. 

Lena observed the scene before her on tenterhooks. Cleo had never been good with anyone other than her and she was sure Daryl was about to lose some fingers. But to her surprise, Cleo raised her head in line with his hand and began to nibble the food he offered. 

“Atta girl. We just gettin’ acquainted, huh?” She heard him say as her mouth dropped open. 

When Cleo had hoovered up ever last grain in Daryl’s hand, he turned and headed back towards Lena. She gave him a sly smile with one eyebrow raised. 

“What?” He snapped. 

“Redneck with a soft touch” She quipped. 

“We doin this or not?’ He said angrily. She raised her bandana over her face and pulled her hood up. 

“Let’s dance” She smiled. 

 

Daryl kicked open the outside door to C Block and scooted inside, his crossbow raised as Lena followed close behind. Noting how dark it was inside, she tapped him on the shoulder and held up a finger in a ‘wait’ gesture. She popped a button on one of her harnesses pockets at the top of her thigh and pulled out two elasticated head lights. She handed one to Daryl and pushed her hood down, fastening her own on her head and flipping the on switch on the side. The Lights were LED and produced more of a soft glow rather than a direct light, perfect for illuminating dark passageways where Walkers were attracted to bright beams of light. Daryl switched his on and carried on moving through the dark walkway until he reached a corner. 

Lena breathed deeply as she waited for Daryl to check around the corner, pushing away any doubts in her mind. She had taught herself how to use her fear and anger to her advantage, something that had been a long and difficult process but had kept her alive. 

He sprang back, his shoulders hitting the wall as he dipped his head closer to her to mask the sound of his voice. 

“Fifteen or so” he whispered. Lena nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“I got this. Stay behind me. Pick off any stragglers” She said, loudly and without a hint of concern. 

She stepped back from him and raised her hands, taking hold of the two bone handled swords. A high-pitched, prolonged ‘shing’ emitted from the holster as she hoisted them out from behind her back and swirled them around in her hands. She walked causally around the corner to the oblivious Walkers and readied herself. 

Daryl followed her around the corner but stayed at the end of the passage, his crossbow switching from one Walker to another without having to pull the trigger as he witnessed her chopping and slicing her way through them. When three lunged at her at the same time, she brought her leg up, in a high kick that sent a loud crack echoing through the small space as the Walkers head was snapped back violently by the impact of her boot hitting its chin. Before her foot was even on the ground, she was slicing through another’s neck with one hand and ramming her other sword through the neck of another. Her long coat swirled in a bizarre, almost synchronized dance as she moved. Daryl crept forwards and shot off a bolt through the head of a corpse she had sliced in half but hadn’t killed as it started clawing with its hands towards her across the floor. He slammed into the wall in an attempt to see past her in the flickering, dim glow of their head lamps and squeezed the trigger once more, eliminating another Walker that was rounding the corner at the far end. Blood flew through the air, flicked from one of Lena’s swords as the blade slid through a spine. 

Realizing more threats were emerging from the far corner, Daryl shot off more bolts, taking down three more as Lena dropped her blades and ripped two, semi-automatic pistols from either side of her belt. She aimed and fired, peppering the faces of everything that appeared at the corner with bullets. They were dropping into a rotting, festering pile. The sound of gunshots bounced off the walls as the noise slowly came to a stop. Lena took a few more steps forward and Daryl scoffed at how she was seemingly wandering about as if she was making her way to the store for some smokes, showing absolutely no sign of fear or trepidation. She peered around the corner and looked back at him. 

“All down” She said before holstering her guns and walking back to her swords. She picked them up and lifted her eyes, catching Daryl staring at her. 

“Where ya learn to fight like that?” He asked

“Trained in Tae Kwon Do. Black belt” She replied, not actually answering his question and feeling like she had already volunteered enough information for one night. “I’ll take that question as a compliment. C’mon, Crossbow” She motioned for him to follow her. Daryl scowled and rolled his eyes. 

 

Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she stood in the main communal area, surrounded by headless Walkers, her blades dripped with partly coagulated blood that was pooling on the floor. This area was the last part they had to clear, much to Lena’s delight. She was exhausted. She allowed herself to slump back onto a metal bench, dropping her swords to the floor.  


Daryl was across the room, watching her from the shrouded darkness of the shadows. The roof let in some light from the moon which lit her hair from above. He had to admit he was impressed by her capabilities and so far, she had neither tried to kill him or deliberately put him in harms way, choosing instead to deal with most of the danger herself. Much to his annoyance, she was keeping her word.  
She pulled her bandana down to her neck and shook her arms behind her, her sword holster falling down her coat. She placed it on the table behind her along with her coat and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. She got to her feet and stretched her arms in the air, feeling her bones crack and her muscles elongate which provided her with a satisfied kind of pleasure. She moaned loudly, which was swiftly followed by a sigh. She stepped over the bodies and moved around the perimeter of the room, shining the glow from her head lamp into each cell. 

“Sufficient.” She mumbled to herself “Without all the dead bodies, of course” 

“Gotta move em’, take em’ outside for a bonfire” Daryl responded, planting himself atop a table and resting his crossbow across his legs.

Eventually, Lena came to a stop in front of him. 

“Block’s clear. You can go, I’ll move the bodies myself. Besides, you should go and show Rick you’re still in one piece so I’m in a position to request some water and a nice piece of that Opossom you caught this morning.” She said, grabbing the legs of a Walker on the floor and dragging it towards the fire exit.

Daryl said nothing. Of course she knew it had been a test, Hershel was right, she was smart. He stood and started back the way they had come, pausing by the door and looking back at her, hauling another body across the shiny, cold floor. He huffed and slapped his crossbow on a table, taking the arms of a large, bloated Walker and sliding it over the floor, leaving a thick trail of blood behind it. Lena looked up. He had decided to stay and help her. Grateful for the assistance, she smiled when she caught his eye.

 

As the gate slammed behind him, Daryl saw Rick emerge from his cell, a mix of relief and curiosity on his face. His stained white shirt was damp with sweat and Daryl had assumed he’d been torn between going in after them and waiting it out. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before Daryl finally spoke. 

“She didn’t try nothin.” He said quietly “Pretty much cleared the place by herself. Told me to stay behind her. Watched the whole thing. She took fifty, maybe sixty Walkers down without so much as a blink.”  
Ricks eyebrows shot up in shock. 

“Got a couple shots in here and there. But she didn’t need me, man. She had that shit covered”

“huh” Rick mused. 

“Look, I was convinced she was some kinda psycho. She probably is and she pisses me off. But so far, she’s kept her word.” Daryl added. 

Rick nodded and placed a hand on Daryl’s broad shoulder.

“Thank you for going with her. You know I only sent you because I knew you’d come back, right?”

Daryl chewed on his bottom lip “Yeah, I know”.


	3. Chapter 3

Lena removed her holsters and straps and placed them in the cleanest cell she could find, the putrid smell of rotting flesh still polluting the air but slowly dissipating without the corpses laid on the floor, fueling it. Daryl had helped her drag every last one of them outside to the yard in an exercise that took almost two hours. Her bones ached and her eyes stung from lack of sleep. She peeled off her sweater and stood in her black tank top. She frantically grabbed around her neck, relieved to find her long silver chain still in place and squeezing the silver ring that was threaded through it in her fingers. Still with one knife strapped to her leg under her boot, she lay back on the bed, one of three in the entire block that weren’t bunk beds. It’s metal frame squeaked under her weight but the feel of a mattress, no matter how hard, was a glorious one. She closed her eyes and drifted into a light sleep. 

 

A noise from outside the cell woke her and she sprang up from the bed, grabbing the knife from her boot and holding it out in front of her in an iron grip.  
Carol gasped at the sudden movement and backed away slightly. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you” She said breathlessly as Lena lowered the knife and rubbed her eyes. 

“I apologize, you caught me unawares. ” Lena admitted, noticing the tray and large bottle of water carol was carrying and eyeing her suspiciously. The large knife attached to her belt glinted in the low light that beamed down from the roof of the block.

“Daryl said you needed some food and water” She chirped, holding the tray out to her. 

Lena remained silent but gestured to the metal table that was fastened to the wall in the cell. Carol got the message and placed the tray on the surface with the bottle. The food on the plate was covered but Lena could smell it well enough, causing her stomach to produce a loud growl. 

“You’ll forgive me if I ask you to try some first” She said, stepping back into the cell and patting the solid, bolted chair as she backed away. “I’m just as cautious as your group are”  
Carol complied and sat down in front of the table. She lifted the cover from the food and picked up a plastic fork. “We wouldn’t poison you. That’s not what we’re about here.” She said before stabbing a piece of meat and chewing it. She swallowed and stood up. 

“We’re willing to give you a chance. If you don’t betray our trust, you could become a useful member of this group. One that I won’t deny we need. Daryl told us you’re an effective fighter.”  
Lena sat down at the table and began to devour the food in front of her, shoveling as much into her mouth as she possibly could as if it were to be snatched away at any given moment. Figuring this was much more important that gracing Carol with a response for the time being. 

“Isn’t that nice of him.” She eventually said, sarcastically. “I need to get my stuff from my mules” She wiped a palm across her lips in an inelegant display of her table manners. “Would you mind escorting me? I don’t want to alarm anybody by wandering around unattended for now.” 

At this, Carol smiled, taking it as her being willing to comply and work with them. “Of course” 

 

“Never thought Opossom could taste so good. You cook?” She asked Carol as they wandered across the grass to Bonnie and Clyde.  
“Yes, I’m glad you liked it” Carol beamed. 

“Maybe you could teach me a thing or two, someday.” Lena mused as she approached Clyde. Carol stopped where she was and gawped at the sight in front of her, her mouth hanging open. 

“It’s OK, they’re harmless” Lena said, pulling the backpack from Clyde and dropping it to the floor. She moved to Bonnie and looked over at Carol, feeling a stab of guilt at the fear etched onto her face.

“Let me show you” She said, taking Bonnies head in her hands and turning it gently in Carols direction “I took off their bottom jaws. Nothing can bite without a bottom jaw. Also removed the arms to stop them from getting grabby and their noses are stuffed with Walker guts so they can’t even smell you. They’re quite useful, albeit a bit odorous. But that deters others, along with the cover Cleo wears. I can usually pass through reasonably large groups of Walkers without so much as a twitch and they’re great for carrying things. Cleo has enough of a job carrying me everywhere”

Carol gradually stepped forwards until she was in front of Bonnie, her eyebrows pulled into a wrinkled line as she peered into the Walkers blank face.  
“Amazing” She breathed. 

“Yeah, took me a long time to get them like this. Trial and error really. They’re compliant enough now. Reasonably robust too. Cleo, she’s not had to run much in recent months, but when she has, these two have been dragged for miles in the woods and are still in one piece”

“I have to admit, it’s not a bad idea at all” Carol giggled. “And their names?” 

“Oh, that” Lena nodded awkwardly “That’s nothing but a sick fascination with true crime” She laughed. 

 

In the early morning light, Carol had returned to Lena’s cellblock to offer her some breakfast and had been invited to help groom Cleo. No longer feeling the need to be so heavily armed, Lena only wore her bone swords and the knife in her boot. She still donned a black tank top and her black camo pants with her heavy boots but the Georgian heat meant that extra layers were a no go when not travelling through dangerous terrain full of hungry Walkers. 

She passed Carol a goatshair body brush and cooed in Cleo’s ear as she ran it over the horse’s shoulders, dust and dirt forming a cloud below the animal. The two women talked quietly as they worked, Lena explaining that life on the road with a horse had its pro’s and cons. Carol finished up with the body brush and listened intently as Lena explained how to groom Cleo’s mane and tail.  
Daryl observed them from the balcony of the watch tower, having swapped his night shift with Maggie in order to help Rick deal with their newcomer. Seeing Lena in the daylight and without all the extra layers and leather straps was something entirely different altogether. Her hair was so thick it was pulled back into a black Alice band, her ears displayed a number of piercings along with her lip ring. Her build was strong, toned but with curves in all the right places that he put down to her having to use her fighting skills. He took a long drag on his cigarette as he watched her. While he knew he found her enraging and irritating, he couldn’t deny that he also found her extremely attractive and impressive while wielding those crazy swords of hers. Women had never been his strong point, so he had zero intentions of acting upon his new-found observation, opting instead to marvel at her from afar and accepting that that was as far as it was ever going to go. 

 

In the weeks following Lena’s arrival at the prison, she had set herself up a cosy little living area in her block of the prison and was delighted to discover that they had showers. Cold showers, but showers none the less. Her cell now contained bedsheets and a large, dark sheet pinned to the top of the bars that she used as a drape. She had been thankful for Maggie allowing her to raid their clothes store due to her own clothes being full of holes and rips. 

Cleo and the Walkers had eventually been welcomed into the group. Lena was extremely grateful to see that a couple of Rick’s group had worked together to create Cleo a small stable in the corner of her yard, which was fenced off from theirs. They had also made a space at the side of it for Bonnie and Clyde, who Carl, Rick’s teenage son was fascinated by. Lena would often see him sat the other side of the fence in the sun, prodding them with a stick. She’d warn him off a number of times, finally threatening to tell his dad. 

While she had deliberately decided against forming any emotional connections with any of the group, she found conversation to be easy with both Maggie and Carol and had been helping with their daily tasks, laundry, cooking and tending to the crops. Carol had taught her how to make a mean Opossom stew with pretty much nothing except a dead animal and some Basil. 

 

Lena sat outside her cell block on the floor, sharpening her blades with a round rock she had collected from a river bed and had made Clyde carry in the bottom of his backpack. Carol had provided her with a small amount of oil for lubricant. She was working on the last one when Daryl approached the fence and looped his fingers through the wire. She had barely spoken to him since the night he had helped her clear the cell block, having him down as a minimal conversationalist. She had seen him pass through the gates twice, sometimes up to four times a day hunting and scavenging but had chosen not to acknowledge him, even when he did look her way, knowing he despised her from his constant scowling. It was a shame, she thought, he happened to be the easiest on the eyes.

“Hey” he said, not managing to divert her attention from the task in hand. She continued to look down at her hands running the blade along the rock. 

“I’m plannin’ a run. Veterinary Hospital a good few miles out. Could use your help” 

Lena sniffed and rubbed her sweaty forehead with the back of her wrist. 

“ _You_ want _my_ help” She stated, still refusing to look up at him. 

Daryl was quiet for a moment as he shifted his stance and lit a cigarette. Lena could tell he was making a real effort not to bite her head off. 

“We need some stuff for the baby and some more meds all round. Could use someone who can fight. Ya pretty badass with them swords” He muttered. Now she looked up at him, the sun behind him meaning she could only make out his silhouette. 

“I know how much it probably pains you to deliver a compliment to me. So, I’ll take that and yes, I’ll lend a hand. Who else is going?”

He puffed smoke from his nose and bit his lip. 

“Just me and you. Need people here in case it get’s overrun. Few Walkers got through the fence on our side last week.”

“Hmm” Lena hummed, tilting her head to one side. “Fine. As long as you promise not to let your hatred for me cloud your judgement. I’m not having you pushing me in front of a herd to save your own ass. I’d rather us live out the rest of our days with you scowling at me across the yard”

He tutted and shook his head. 

“You’re a piece of work, y’know that?” he growled. 

“Oh, I know.” She said. 

He stepped back and threw his cigarette onto the tarmac. 

“Takin’ my bike. Be ready to hit the road in an hour” He ordered before turning and walking away. 

 

Lena waited at the gate next to Carol, kitted out with every weapon she owned. She had put on her hooded coat under her sword holster and her bandana. Hearing the rumbling of a motorcycle, she looked up from pulling on her fingerless gloves to see Daryl approaching her on a vintage Triumph Chopper adorned with unsavory Nazi Insignia on the gas tank. He stopped the bike in front of her, dismounted and handed her a map, their route harshly scribbled on in red marker pen.

“Gonna need ya to navigate” He said quickly turning and going back to the bike

“Nazi symbols. How stereotypical of you.” She spat as she neared him and swung a leg over the bike.

“Fuck you” He grumbled.

She slid her arms around his waist. “Maybe, but only on my terms” She announced. 

Daryl grit his teeth and nodded to Carol, who hauled the gate open and waved them off. 

 

The hospital was a long way out and the searing heat from the sun meant they needed to take a rest stop.

“We should stop for a while. There’s an old farm about a half mile away” He called over he shoulder.

“Roger that” she agreed, shouting over the motorcycles engine noise.

 

As they entered the gate to the farm, Lena could see it was well and truly abandoned, half of the farmhouse had fallen down and the grounds were littered with debris from the collapsed barn.  
They hopped off the bike and Daryl grabbed his crossbow from the handlebars and lit a cigarette. Lena unsheathed one of her swords and walked slowly around the dilapidated buildings, checking for any Walkers. Once she’d scanned the entire area, she returned to Daryl, who was sat under a tree, finishing his smoke. She sat opposite him in the shade and crossed her legs under her.  
“Those things will kill you” She snipped, pulling her bandana down to her neck.

“Gonna die anyway. May as well enjoy it.” He replied, holding the cigarette end between the bottom of his thumb and the top of his index finger. He flicked the end out in front of him and watched it hit an upturned horse trough a few meters away with a ‘ping’. 

“Those swords” He said, cautiously glancing at her “It true? What ya said the first night ya arrived?” 

She half smiled at him and let out a small huff as she played with a small stick, drawing shapes in the dirt. “Femurs. Strongest bone in the human body”

Daryl was glowering at her “So someone pissed ya off and ya took their Femurs? That’s fucked up”

“Is it?” She snapped. “I’ll tell you what’s fucked up. What’s fucked up is 25 cannibals from a cult killing 5 innocent women after violating them in every way you can think of. What’s fucked up is people dying and then getting back up again and eating one another. The world is fucked up now. My swords are a small drop in a whole, fucked up ocean.”

He continued to look at her as she concentrated on the patterns she drew in the dusty ground.

“He was their leader.” She continued, much to Daryl’s surprise. “That’s why I took his femurs. A constant reminder that I do not have to be screwed with just because I am female in a world where survival of the fittest has never meant more. They had all sorts of tools, pins, screws, bolts and other materials for fashioning weapons. Eventually I figured out how to fasten the bone to the metal and voila, Bone swords. Made the holster from some leather boots and belts. Pretty much picked the place clean before I left. Serves them right.” 

A few moments passed as neither of them spoke, Lena’s eyes still lowered to the floor and Daryl still studying her. She realized she had never explained to anyone the details of where her sword handles came from and it felt good to get it out in the open, even if it was to someone like Daryl who was not the best at conversation and was staring at her with what felt like silent judgement. 

“M’sorry about your friends” He mumbled. 

Her eyes shot up at the totally unexpected and sympathetic remark. At first, she didn’t know how to respond, before finally remembering her manners. 

“Thank you” She gave him a slight nod, noticing how blue his eyes were in this light. 

“Rick left my brother handcuffed to a roof back in Atlanta. I was real mad. Went back for him but he’d got away. Crazy son of a bitch cut his own hand off and now I aint got a clue where he is.” 

Lena uncurled her legs from under her, straightening one of them and leaning to the side slightly. 

“Rick did that?!” She exclaimed. 

“Yeh, but my brother…well, he can be a real prick.” 

“I guess you’re just two peas in a pod” She grinned 

He shook his head at her.

“He’s tough, could still be out there somewhere. Feed him a hammer, he’d crap out nails” He said, getting to his feet and dusting his jeans down before collecting his crossbow and heading back to his bike. 

“Ya comin, or am I leavin’ ya here? Aint no bother” He called over his shoulder. 

 

Daryl couldn’t understand why he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes away from her. She was not the kind of person he would have chosen to have tag along with him if it wasn’t for her fighting abilities and she certainly wasn’t who he’d choose as a companion of any sort, aside from the fact that he considered her to be prettier with every new glance he stole at her. She confused and irritated him with her cold remarks and more than obvious intense dislike of him, yet he still found himself somewhat in awe of her. 

She casually walked along in front of him across the parking lot of the Animal Hospital. Once again, carefree enough to have been merely taking a stroll in the park. Daryl wondered why she never seemed to keep her body low, why she wasn’t sneaking or attempting to stay under the radar, coming to the conclusion that maybe she just didn’t care anymore. 

Two Walkers lurched at her from behind a large, white truck. Their clothes were still clean and they didn’t look that far gone. One had a bandage messily tied around his arm, as if he had tried to stop the inevitable. 

Lena raised her right sword and decapitated them both with one smooth swipe, only leaning her weight on her left leg for a few seconds before straightening back up. Their heads hit the floor with two, sickening ‘thuds’ and Daryl kicked one to the side, rolling it under the truck. Lena glanced back at him for a second over her bandana, her hood shrouding her face in shade but her Green eyes met his before continuing to walk to the Fire Exit of the Hospital. 

Inside, the lights flickered, most probably powered by a backup generator that was running low but provided enough light for them to raid most of the rooms. They stuffed a backpack with any medications and medical equipment they could carry, Lena’s small pockets strapped to her legs proving to be more than handy for the smaller items. She rummaged through drawers and cupboards, coming to a stop when she saw a box that caught her attention. She snatched it from the counter and shoved it in her belt. 

“What was that?” Daryl asked. 

“Nothing” she spat, turning her back to him and leaving the room. 

 

The next room housed a row of sizeable, reinforced cages that Lena assumed were for large dogs and other animals capable of breaking free and injuring someone. Daryl slowly walked along, running his fingers along the bars on the cage doors as he went. Lena veered off to the left into another room with a large, glass partition that enabled her to see Daryl looking all around him in what appeared now to be a completely empty walkway with one single, large cage which was set back into the wall and possessed a row of thick bars on the front. To the left of that was a corner which led to a corridor. A Loud click rang out around them and the door in front of Daryl slid shut. Her eyes widened as she whirled around and looked at the signs on the door. ‘Laboratory’, ‘Quarantine’, ‘Air lock’. 

“Oh shit” She said under her breath, noticing the sensor pad on the floor underneath Daryl. He started banging on the glass as Walkers began to round the corner towards him. Raising his crossbow he fired off several bolts, killing the first few Walkers as Lena frantically scratched at the control panel but to no avail. She looked to the side at Daryl and took a deep breath. 

_Think. Think._

She ran out of the room and looked above the air lock door, seeing a glass panel and removing her Pistol. She shot at the glass until the magazine was empty, dropped it and continued with her other guns until the glass finally split and shattered. She grabbed a chair and climbed up, peering over the edge to see Daryl on his last bolt. 

“Get in the cage, close the door and roll into a ball!” She screamed

From a pocket on her thigh, she produced a grenade. She looked back over the door, popped the pin and threw it with all her might, far enough to reach just around the corner in the mass of Walkers, protecting Daryl somewhat from the blast. 

“Grenade!” She yelled.

She ducked. Closing her eyes, clamping her hands over her ears and screwing her face up. 

_Please. Please._

An almighty boom racked through the small space and the glass all around her shattered into a million tiny pieces. Her head rattled as the impact hit her and her boots lifted from the chair. She was flying through the air, almost in slow motion before she came to a painful stop at the end of the walkway, her back throbbed with pain at being thrown back into the wall. Coming to her senses, she got to her feet and ran into the next room. Body parts littered the floor and a thick red mist filled the air and it was at this point that she’d remembered why she always wore a bandana. 

“Daryl?!” She yelled, climbing onto the desk and through the smashed window. She could hear a loud grunt and knew then that he was alive, the mist thinned as she squinted ahead and she could see him balled up in the cage, all his limbs still attached but his arms peppered with shrapnel wounds. Her boots hit the glass and blood covered floor and she threw the cage open, reaching out to take his arm. He quickly batted her away like a fly. 

“I’m alright” He grumbled, climbing out of the cage. Blood trickled down one side of his face as he wiped at it with his fingers, glancing down at the crimson liquid. He looked back up at Lena, who was watching him intently. 

“A grenade?!” He said, exasperated. “Really?!”

Lena shrugged with indifference. 

“Ya got any other explosive devices on ya I should know about?!” 

A snapping sound caught her attention. She looked down to see a Walker’s head rolling about on the floor. It’s teeth gnashing wildly. She kicked it hard with her boot, sending it scattering along the blood-soaked floor. 

“You’re welcome. Ungrateful asshole.” She muttered under her breath, turning and climbing back through the shattered window into the next room. 

 

The journey back to the prison had been quiet with neither of them saying a word. Communication had been made in small grunts and as the bike drove through the gates and pulled up to the Cellblock, Lena couldn’t be more pleased to see their concrete, barbed wired fortress. 

Daryl headed inside, his crossbow slung over his shoulder. Although Lena didn’t live in the same cellblock, she followed him inside, hoping to be able to get some food. 

“You’re back” Rick said as he walked into the main communal area. 

“Just about” Daryl grumbled, slamming his crossbow onto the metal table. A harsh clang rang out amongst the walls. 

“You run into trouble?” Rick asked. 

Lena leaned against the metal railings and crossed her arms, unable to believe how unreasonable Daryl was being. 

“Had trouble with me the whole damn time.” Daryl responded. “Did ya know she had a fuckin’ grenade on her?! For all we know she could have a damn nail bomb waitin’ to go off. Knew we shouldn’t have trusted her.” 

Lena held one hand up, her index finger extended towards the ceiling. 

“Actually, I have two more grenades” She smiled. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Daryl yelled at her “Ya could have killed me in there!”

She gave him a confused look and quickly glanced at Rick, who appeared completely baffled by the heated exchange in front of him. Carol and Hershel had emerged behind him and stood at the entrance to the row of cells where everyone slept. 

“But I didn’t. I saved your life. You’d have more than some shrapnel wounds if I hadn’t have thrown that explosive in there. You’d be one of them by now, and you know it.”  
“I was handlin it” He muttered. 

“OK, OK calm down.” Rick soothed as he watched Lena place the saddle bags from the bike on the table next to Daryl’s crossbow. She looked up at Hershel.

“We got plenty of meds, although I’m not sure what they are and it goes without saying that there was nothing specific to human babies but I picked up any vitamins I could. There’s some tubing, small monitors, battery operated devices, more surgical tools and Saline drips”

Daryl snatched up his weapon and pushed past Lena, making for the cells. Rick and Carol followed him, calling his name and Lena could hear some inaudible mumbling as they tried to catch up to him. Hershel picked through the contents of the bags, pulling out boxes of medication and reading the labels. 

 

“I was wondering if you could help me with something” She asked, fiddling with the back of her belt and removing the box she had shoved in there earlier. She gently placed it on the table in front of him. “Y’know…off the record?”

Hershel stared at the box in front of him and slowly lowered himself into a seat. Lena swallowed hard and hoped that Doctor Patient confidentiality still applied even in the apocalypse.  
“I couldn’t find anything to insert it with, except this. So, I’m just going to have to grit my teeth.” She shrugged, picking a scalpel out of the bag.

He studied her face before giving her a small smile, taking the scalpel and opening the box.

“Of course. Please, sit.” He said, motioning to the seat in front of her “Let me see your arm”

Lena complied and removed her swords, coat and sweater, presenting him with the underside of her left arm. 

“You’re lucky you found one that’s compatible with humans” He said as he prepared the area, wiping it with a freezing cold antiseptic wipe. Lena shuddered at the chilly feeling and looked away as Hershel made a small incision in her arm and slid the matchstick sized rod into place. He placed a gauze over it and pressed to stem the bleeding. 

“This won’t be effective immediately unless you’re in the first five days of your cycle.” He warned.

She licked her lips and nodded. “I’m on day five.” She whispered.

“OK. It is not my place to ask questions, sweetheart. But I must admit, I am curious as to who you might have your eye on. Glenn, he’s with my Maggie. Rick has just lost his wife. So, that just leaves Daryl and I hope you will forgive me for saying so, but he doesn’t seem too taken with you.”

She swallowed hard and looked down at the small wound as he took the gauze away. 

“I don’t have my eye on anyone. This is just in case. I’ve survived for so long by being prepared for anything.” She explained. 

He gave her a warm smile and patted her on the shoulder. 

“Alright then, you’re all good to go. Secret’s safe with me.” 

Lena walked across the yard to her cellblock, the stinging pain in her arm lessening much to her relief. 

“Lena” Maggie’s voice from behind her. She turned and gave her a warm smile. 

“You don’t have to live in there anymore. This is stupid. You’ve been here long enough for us all to know you’re not going to hurt anybody. Rick, he’s OK with it and Carol would love to have you around more. Glenn has mentioned a few times that he’d like to do some target practice with you. Beth, well she’s just dying to hitch a ride on Cleo and Carl is fascinated by you, he thinks you’re some kind of Ninja.” Maggie laughed.

While Lena was touched by the display of trust and Maggie’s desire to have her live with them, she had her own personal rule. A rule that meant she wasn’t to get too emotionally involved with anyone. The loss of everyone she’d ever loved or cared about had started to chip away at her, leaving her reluctant to embark on any more friendships or relationships, knowing that the burden of yet more losses would be the thing that finally destroyed her. 

“Maggie…I tend to keep people at arm’s length. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I like being around you guys, but I refrain from getting attached to people now. So, I’m going to stay where I am. I hope you can understand that.”

A sad but kind expression worked it’s way across Maggie’s face as Lena spoke and it was obvious that she did indeed understand. 

“You know you can always change your mind. Just say the word.” She beamed.

“Yeah, thank you.” Lena said, turning and stepping away. “Oh, if Beth wants to ride Cleo, all she has to do is ask.” She called back. 

Maggie held up a hand and half waved as she back away, before turning and wandering back to the Block. 

 

That night, Lena had changed into Jeans and a white tank top before she decided to spend some time with Cleo, grooming her and chatting to her. She had also fed Bonnie and Clyde, who were being fed on other, more recently deceased Walkers. Feeding a jawless predator proved to be somewhat difficult at first, until Lena had mastered the act of using a small shovel to literally tip the festering mess down their throats. She wanted to keep them in reasonably good condition, having learned from experience that anything can happen once she let her guard down. She never knew if and when she would need them again and once she’d named them, she couldn’t deny she had grown slightly attached to them. 

She sat on the grass of her yard, watching Cleo roll about on the floor, wriggling her big body about with her legs in the air and snorting playfully. She laughed quietly at the innocent and mildly amusing sight. Cleo hadn’t had it easy, since being found by Lena, she had walked for miles and miles across state lines in the blistering heat, covered by heavy, guts covered armor which only served to increase her overheating. She had saved Lena’s life on a number of occasions, alerting her to danger nearby with her grunting noises and hoof thumping. 

“Thought you might be hungry.” Carol’s voice distracted her from the sight of Cleo enjoying herself. She glanced over at the fence. Carol stood behind it, holding two bowls of food. Lena stood and walked to the gate, opening it and stepping onto Rick’s side of the yard. 

“It’s not much, but it should keep you going until morning” She said, handing her a bowl and a fork.

Lena was so hungry she practically snatched the bowl away and shoveled packet noodles into her mouth until the bowl was empty. Awkwardly looking up at Carol and wiping away some sauce by rubbing her chin along her shoulder. 

“Thank you” She smiled, handing her back the bowl. 

“Here” She said, swapping it for another full one. “You should take this to Daryl in the guard tower. You two should try and work something out. We don’t need to be enemies, there’s enough of those in this world now.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s-” Lena started 

“-Just, try. Underneath that angry exterior, he’s not what you’d expect.” She interrupted. 

Lena sighed loudly and took the bowl, skirting around Carol and making her way to the tower. 

 

Daryl was sat outside on the balcony overlooking Lena’s yard with his feet propped up on a box. When she arrived next to him, she could see that he also found Cleo’s antics amusing, snickering to himself and rubbing his chin. He glanced up at her as she stopped next to him. 

“She’s a beauty.” He said, gesturing to the horse with it’s hooves in the air. 

“She is. She’s never been able to relax this much, hence the ridiculous floor routine. Here, Carol told me to give this to you.” She replied, handing him the bowl. 

He grunted and took it from her grasp, not bothering to thank her. She sat on the chair next to him as he ate noisily and it was apparent that he’d never possessed anything like table manners. Bonnie and Clyde were pacing about in their pen, a light growling noise could be heard from them which only happened after they’d had a feed. 

“Why’d ya feed em?” Daryl asked in between mouthfuls. 

“When they don’t eat, they lose interest in food altogether, which means they are extremely obedient. But, they would slowly starve to death. All this time I’ve needed them to be robust enough in order to have them carry my belongings and be able to endure being dragged through the woods on the odd occasion. I guess I still feed them in case I ever need them one day. Need to be prepared for anything.” She said, gently touching the rod in her arm with her fingers, it was now completely painless. 

Daryl finished his noodles and stood, stepping inside the guard tower. Lena followed and stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he rummaged in a shirt pocket that was thrown on a table in the middle of the room. 

“I wasn’t trying to kill you.” She blurted out. He stopped and looked at her. “You know you’d already be dead if that’s what I wanted, right?” 

“Right, you’d kung fu my ass or somethin.” He rolled his eyes and finally found what he was looking for. His cigarettes. 

“You owe me one for today. I’ll not forget it, Crossbow.” She prodded. 

“I don’t owe you shit, except a guilt trip for all the shrapnel Hershel had to pick outta my arms.” He snapped, lighting a smoke and blowing smoke in her direction. She blinked and waited for it to disperse.

“Better than being a glassy eyed monster.” 

“I told ya, I was handlin' it.” He snarled at her. 

“Y’know, Carol, she seems to think that all this…” She waved her finger in front of him, motioning to his angry exterior. “…Is a front. But me? I think you’re probably just like your brother.”

“Ya don’t know me and ya don’t know him. I aint like him” He started to walk back and forth in the small room.

“You’ve never given me a reason to think otherwise, have you? Why exactly is it that you hate me so much? Is it fear?” She asked stepping over the threshold, into the room. 

He snorted at her “I aint scared of nothin’, least of all you.”

“Is it Jealousy? Because I’ve proved I can handle almost anything and I hurt your male pride by saving your skin today?" She continued, moving closer still, wanting to prove to him that she wasn’t scared of his snappy, angry attitude.

“Don’t flatter yaself.” His eyes darted from hers to the floor then back again, over and over. 

She stopped right in front of him, causing him to cease his pacing. He was distracted by the ring looped through her full, red lips.

“So it’s lust, then” she whispered. 

“Lust? What ya talkin’ ‘bout, lust? Aint no lust here. I don’t even like ya.” He hissed.

They both remained still and quiet, eyes locked together in amongst the heavy atmosphere and cigarette smoke. As much as Daryl tried to hide his thoughts on how pretty he thought she was, he couldn’t hide the powerful tension between them in that moment. Eventually, she tilted her head back slightly and let out a sarcastic huff. 

“See you tomorrow” She said politely, turning and heading for the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild Smut warning!  
> Thanks for reading :)

Daryl let out a long breath, totally unaware how tense he was in her presence. The truth was, he knew she hadn’t been trying to kill him back at the hospital and he continued to snipe at her to mask his attraction to her, which was fast becoming a problem. Being around her confused him so much he reacted with his default setting, pushing her far enough away that she would never know what he thought of her, which was that he didn’t actually dislike her at all. 

Lena lay on her bed reading a trashy romance novel she’d found in one of the cells. Bizarrely, the prison was full of men before the world went bad and apparently, someone had a penchant for Mills and Boone novels with bad titles and even worse front covers. She giggled to herself as she finished the fifth page, rolled her eyes and slapped the book on the floor beside the bed. She lay back on the thin, lumpy pillow with her arms above her head and stared at the ceiling. The paint was beginning to peel after years of neglect and she thanked her lucky stars she had never ended up in prison herself, shut inside the same four walls and living life behind bars wasn’t so bad when the outside world was too dangerous to live in anymore. But being shut in here during a time when everything was as it was meant to be, didn’t bare thinking about. 

A loud, piercing siren cut through her thoughts and she sprang up off the bed, standing in the middle of her cell, briefly placing her hands over her ears before becoming used to the sound. 

“What the…?” She said to herself. 

She began scurrying around the cell, strapping her weapons to her limbs. She glanced over at her coat but decided she didn’t have enough time, whatever this was, she needed to go and find out what was going on and fast. The noise would be attracting every Walker within a ten-mile radius. She slid her swords onto her back over her tank top, pushed an Alice band up onto her head and left the room.  
Daryl, Rick and Glenn met her in the passageway to her cell block, panicked looks on their faces. 

“What the hell is that?!” She yelled over the noise. 

“Not sure, could have been set off by the generators. We need to find the control room and shut it down before we have a herd headed our way.” Rick said.

“If we don’t already” She sighed

“We’ll split up, whoever gets there first, shut the damn thing off!” He yelled, signaling to Glenn to follow him. 

Daryl gave her a blank look. 

“Yeah, of course I’m stuck with you again.” She complained. “C’mon” 

She made her way to the opposite passage way that Rick and Glenn had taken, swords drawn but not overly worried about encountering any Walkers as she and Daryl had cleared the block already. It was people she was more concerned about finding. The more time they spent with the siren sounding into every inch of the prison, the more accustomed to it they became and soon enough, the need to yell at one another was no longer there. 

As usual, Lena walked calmly in the darkness. Daryl in front of her this time, crouched as he moved forwards. 

“Daryl just stand up” She said loudly. “They can smell you, they don’t give a damn if you’re down there or up here”

He turned and shot her what could only be described as a look of pure loathing that only served to make her laugh. She lifted a hand, a sword clamped in a fist and laughed behind it. 

“Wow, if looks could kill, huh?” She giggled. 

“Kinda wish they did right now” He spat before turning back to the task in hand and slowly making his way around the next corner. Lena rolled her eyes behind him and found herself studying the leather vest he wore. Laced up at the sides and adorned with two angel wing patches, one of which had stitching that was unravelling at the bottom. 

As she lifted her eyes, a shadow shot across the corridor in front of them.

“Hey!” Daryl shouted.

“That wasn’t a Walker” She said under her breath, feeling a rising sense of unease. 

“Ya think?!” He replied sarcastically before racing forwards and around the corner. Lena dropped back slightly, readying herself and trying to embrace the stab of fear she always felt when faced with other, unturned humans. Following the dark, but quick silhouette, they eventually found themselves in front of the door to the control room. Daryl motioned for Lena to open the door while he positioned himself in front of it, crossbow raised and finger on the trigger. She placed her hand on the handle and caught his eye. He nodded once and she flung the door open as Daryl stepped inside and she covered them from the rear. The room appeared empty. 

“We know you’re in here” Lena called out. 

Daryl edged closer to the left-hand side of the room and Lena saw him tense suddenly. 

“Drop it, Asshole!” Daryl growled.

“You drop it!” Came a voice from around the corner. Lena quickly and quietly tiptoed to the front of the room, towards the direction of the voice. The Machinery separating them and providing her with cover but also allowing her to see that their assailant was dressed in prison clothing. 

“Put the gun down, man” Daryl said, his voice slightly calmer. 

“No way. This is my prison now. I was here from the start. This is my house. You people are living in my house!” The voice was shaky, nervous and unsure and Lena took this as a good thing, it meant he didn’t pose that much of a threat. Peeking through a gap in the machinery, her heart dropped when she saw how young he was. 23 at the very most, his black skin glistening with sweat as it ran down his chest, which displayed heavy gang tattoos. His hand was shaking so much she was sure if he fired off a shot from the small, black pistol it would end up nowhere but the floor or ceiling. 

“We aint goin’ nowhere. Now drop the piece” Daryl warned. 

Lena had managed to sneak all the way around the machinery and was now stood behind him in the shadows. Then a shot was fired. The noise echoed off the walls and strained at Lena’s eardrums. She looked around the shooter to Daryl, who had jumped to the side, the bullet just missing him and embedding in a wall behind him. 

Lena took a deep breath. 

Daryl’s heart almost skipped a beat when the trigger was pulled. Luckily, this kid was such a crappy shot, he could tell where the bullet would end up before he’d even discharged the weapon. The scene moved in slow motion as rage clouded his mind and he lifted the crossbow to this face, lining the pin with the shooters forehead. 

“Ya gonna regret that” He breathed. 

A shiny, metal object slammed through the assailant’s mouth and his head snapped back in a crude, forced display. Blood trickled down his bottom lip, spreading across his clothing. His head jerked forwards as the sword was removed with a loud metal on bone sound and he slumped to the floor to reveal Lena behind him, her sword dripping with bright red blood. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she looked down at her weapon, her eyes moving to the dead body on the floor. Kill number Twenty-eight hadn’t felt near enough as satisfying as the others.

“Lena?” Daryl said, approaching her. Her eyes still locked on the body. 

“Hey, Lena?” He repeated, holding his hand out to touch her arm. She flinched away from him, her eyes now everywhere, darting around the room as she backed away from him. 

“He was a-a kid. So young” She uttered. 

“Kid was a live wire, he tried to shoot me” He assured her, watching as she backed further still and her hand shot out to steady herself on a nearby machine. 

Daryl suddenly remembered the siren amongst all the drama and went off to find the power source as Lena caught her breath. The sirens suddenly ceased following a clunking noise from around the corner. Daryl went back to Lena who now seemed to be somewhat back in the room. Her eyes less blank and her breathing returning to normal. 

“Ya alright?” He asked. 

She regarded him with a suspicious look, unsure if his interest was genuine or not. But nodded her head anyway. 

“Yeah, just needed a minute” She said. “That was…difficult.”

“I get it” He replied “Did the right thing though”

She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and sniffed. 

“Guess I owe ya two favors now, huh?” He said. 

Her eyes met his and the two of them stared at one another. Lena wondered how long she could hold his gaze before he admitted defeat and skulked away. Surprised when he appeared more confident than she expected. She pushed her holster from her back and let it clatter to the floor along with her one unsheathed sword. He still hadn’t moved an inch as she stepped closer to him, unexpectedly still looking into his eyes. Thin, invisible strands of electricity securing them in place. She wound her fingers around the clips of the two pistol holsters on each thigh and released them, also allowing them to fall to the floor at her sides. 

Daryl had no idea what was happening but one thing he was sure of, was that there were all sorts of things circling around in his mind that he wanted to do to her and he internally cursed himself for indulging in such thoughts. Everything was beginning to get a bit difficult to process. But still, he couldn’t look away, she was mesmerizing, the way she moved, the way her lip ring leaned to the side when she ran her tongue over her lips. Why was she running her tongue over her lips? Why was she moving closer to him and shedding her weapons? Why exactly was it that he could not look away?  


She stopped so close to him that she could feel his breath on her face. She took hold of his crossbow and tugged on it, feeling him resist at first before allowing her to take it and place it on the floor. She tilted her head slightly at him and he found himself unable to find the desire to stop her. Every muscle in his body tensed when she placed a hand on his chest, but he still did not break their eye contact. 

“What the hell are ya doin?” He managed to say. 

Daryl wasn’t used to being touched and usually hated any kind of physical contact except the odd, awkward hug from Carol. He certainly wasn’t used to this kind of intense interaction with another human being and found himself beginning to suck in deep jagged breaths. 

He sounded terrified, but Lena suspected he was just taken by surprise and hadn’t had many clandestine encounters with female killers in control rooms. As she brought her other hand up to the top of his arm, she moved her face closer, so close in fact, that she was now softly brushing her nose against his. His eyes closed, causing her to feel a rush of triumph and her lips curled into a smile as she tightened her hold on his toned, muscular arm. 

Her hand on his bicep was creating a tingling, almost burning sensation from the skin on skin contact and he was sure she could feel him trembling slightly. A reaction that he wished wasn’t happening but could not control, no matter how hard he tried. When her nose met his, he felt a spike of both adrenaline and testosterone, closed his eyes and fought the internal battle of weather to run away or to stay and make the most of whatever was going on here. 

She had decided to take the plunge. Just go with it. The hand on his chest slowly moved down across his abdomen and over the increasing bulge in his jeans and she felt him jolt at her touch. She pulled her head back slightly to enable her to see his face, a look of unease mixed with pure lust etched across his features. Her eyebrow raised in a show of seductive intent.  
He chewed on his bottom lip as the heat in his jeans continued to rage and he wanted so badly to touch her, to feel her skin and the shape of her. He lifted a subtly shaking hand and placed it on her waist, pulling her closer to him, their bodies now pressed against one another.

She could feel him shaking as his hand gradually flattened against her waist. She covered her hand with his. 

“It’s OK.” She purred. “Just do it.”

“Do what?” He asked. 

“Whatever you want” She flashed him a mischievous grin, seeing him struggling to process the situation. 

He still looked confused, but now there was a level of want in his eyes. It seemed to last forever, the waiting, wishing he would make a move but she persisted and every part of her lit up when his hand on her waist became more forceful and he grabbed at the front of her jeans, popping the button open, an act she copied on him, tugging at the sides of his jeans. She felt his face grazing hers, his lips searching for her but she deliberately turned her head to the side and he pressed his lips to her neck instead, sending sparks through her mind. Her skin felt electric, goose pimples appearing on the surface at the sensation of him kissing her neck and taking the lead.

Before her mind could even register it, she had been whirled around and slammed front first into the machine that Daryl had originally had his back to. Her jeans were being forced down and Daryl nuzzled into her neck, his breathing shallow and quick. She braced herself with her forearms on the metal surface and felt his rough hands travel over the skin of her back under her top, down to her now exposed ass and thighs. Brief fiddling of a jeans zipper behind her was followed by her sensing the front of his thighs against the back of hers and she could tell he was hesitating. 

“You sure ‘bout this?” 

The words whispered into her ear caused her conscience to prickle. The last thing she had expected from him was to ensure she was comfortable with all this, assuming he would just take what he wanted, just like she was. 

“Yes” She replied. 

Her fingers fanned out on the cold metal surface in front of her and she slid her legs further apart as he pushed into her. Her insides ignited at the sensation. Pulsing, throbbing, addictive pleasure thrummed from her core at the sound of him groaning over her shoulder. He slapped a hand on the machine next to hers with a loud thud to steady himself as he thrusted into her, hard and slow, over and over again. She cried out and pushed back to meet him each time which was almost enough to tip him over the edge straight away since it had been so long since he had been with a woman. 

"Uuh, shit" She heard him groan. 

Lena was beginning to realize that Daryl was full of surprises as his free hand worked its way around to her front, finding her clit and rubbing gently in time with his rhythm. He appeared to be trying to make sure she got as much out of this as he was about to. She had not expected him to be so considerate with anything, let alone this and was staggered that although the whole thing was so urgent and rough, he conducted himself with such courtesy. 

She felt her release building inside her as a result of Daryl’s fingers on the trigger and arched her back slightly in an effort to try and stave off the oncoming explosion. Daryl’s other hand left the machine in front and snaked around her, moving from her stomach, under her tank top and bra and gently pulling on her nipple. 

“oh god” She breathed, about to come undone when she felt him slam inside her and tremble with an urgency that pushed her over the edge. He moaned into the side of her neck and wrapped her body in his arms, feeling her buck and shake in his grasp.

His mind went blank and his body was completely numb except the part of it that was still inside her and for a few seconds, everything made sense before it went back to being complicated and even more confusing than before. He didn’t want to release her, to allow her to move from his arms but she moved her hips forwards, forcing him to pull away from her and step back. He grabbed his jeans and pulled them up, seeing her do the same. She left the button undone and her tank top partially rolled up as she slumped back against the metal behind her, catching her breath and wiping sweat from her forehead. 

Daryl couldn’t help it, he was staring at her. Marveling at her sweat covered chest above her top, her exposed, toned stomach and her neck that he had so wanted to bite as he fucked her. His eyes moved up and down her body, taking it all in and he resisted the urge to slam her back into that machine and do it all again. But the thing he found himself wanting to do more than anything and that she hadn’t allowed, was to kiss her. He had now crossed a line, and it had changed everything for him.

Lena finally buttoned her jeans, lowered her top and set about strapping everything back to her body, the pleasantly numb feeling between her legs gradually fading as she moved. She could feel his eyes burning into her soul when she turned her back to him and slid her blood-stained sword back into the holster and looped her arms through it. She paused, taking a deep breath and tried to make sense of the fact that they had just had sex next to the body of a young man that she had brutally murdered minutes before. The world was an ugly place now, and Lena was becoming ugly with it. 

She glanced over her shoulder at him, he was still glaring at her. 

“Stop staring at me” She mumbled as she turned and went for the door.

“Sorry, it’s just…” He trailed off. 

“It’s just, what?” She said coldly, handing him his crossbow and stopping at the side of him. 

“Nothin” he replied awkwardly. 

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts and deciding what to do about this now most tedious of situations. 

“What happened here, stays between us, don’t make it a big deal.” She ordered, opening her eyes and giving him a stern look. 

He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and began to chew on it, nodding in agreement. 

 

Lena had gone back to the control room alone that night to remove the body of the young man and wheel it out on a trolley into her yard in the middle of the night. She had wrestled with the guilt of murdering him and found herself unable to sleep knowing his body just lay there on the concrete. She pulled the trolley to the bottom of the grass in her yard and picked up a shovel. She began digging furiously by the light of a single flashlight on the floor, wanting to feel the strain in her muscles and joints, not stopping when everything started to hurt. She drove the shovel into the earth over and over, finding herself grunting loudly in determination. Once the hole was deep enough, she dragged the body into it and began to fill it back up. When she was done, she sat on the ground in front of it, tears streaming down her face.

 

Daryl watched her from the tower, telling himself that disturbing her right now would likely get him punched in the face. So, he sat quietly and observed her using the burial as some form of twisted punishment of herself, her desperate, labored grunts travelling up to his ears and urging him to put a stop to it, or at least offer to help. But he remained where he was, turning his head away when he noticed her start to cry.


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Lena caught Carl prodding at Bonnie and Clyde again from the other side of the fence. She watched as he tormented them and jumped when they showed any interest in his presence. She giggled to herself and started towards the fencing where they had both gathered in front of him. He stood bolt upright when he saw her nearing him, expecting to be scolded. 

“Hey kid. If you’re so interested in them, I’ll let you feed them next time.”

Carl’s eyes widened. “You…feed them? What do they eat?”

“Yeah, they eat other Walkers. The occasional rodent or roadkill. Not exactly going to feed them on live humans am I?” She grinned. 

“Gross” He gasped. 

She watched him as he examined Bonnies blank face. She swayed in front of him and bashed against the fence every now and then. Her recent feed motivating her to find more. 

“They were fed recently. They get all excitable about food and then it tends to wear off. Right now, she’s looking at you like you’re a nice, juicy steak. But she’s harmless.” She explained.

He reached a finger through the wire of the fence and tried to touch her, moving so slowly Lena saw an opportunity. She stomped her foot on the ground at the same time as grabbed Bonnie’s shoulder, shoving her closer to the wire before releasing her again. She let out a guttural, gurgling growl before falling silent again. 

Carl jolted and recoiled in fear as Lena laughed loudly at his reaction. 

“That was mean” He complained. 

“Sorry, you walked into that one.” She smirked. Noticing him smiling back at her. 

“I better go” He mumbled, dragging his fingers along the wire and giving Bonnie one last glance. Clyde stood behind her, staring at nothing. 

“Kid? Do me a favor? Tell Daryl to stop by my cellblock? I need his help with something.”

He nodded “Sure. See ya around” 

She held a hand up in a feeble wave and gave him a small smile. 

 

The heavy, black drape pinned to the top of her cells bars was pulled to one side over the door, in some kind of dramatic, theatrical curtain. Inside, lit by two candles on a shelf that Maggie had let her have, she changed her clothes. She chose something much easier to sleep in, a light, black button-down shirt and a pair of black and red flannel shorts. Sitting on the bed, she looked down at the silver ring looped through her necklace. She closed her hand around it and pulled it over her head before pushing it under her mattress and shuffling down, laying her head on the pillow and resuming her nightly task of studying the peeling paint work above her.  
A light rap on the bars caused her to stir. Daryl stood awkwardly on the other side of the closed door, chewing on his thumb. 

“Carl said ya wanted to see me?”

“Yeah, come in, close the door and the drape behind you.” She said, sitting up and swinging her legs off the side of the bed. He gave her a hesitant look before he opened the heavy door, stepped inside and closed it behind him. Un-hooking the drape from the makeshift hook that Lena had made from some wood and screws. He turned to face her. 

“What could ya possibly need my help with?” He asked, shrugging one shoulder. 

“I suppose I could have picked a more believable lie to summon you here.” She said, standing up and allowing herself to look him slowly up and down, tiling her head to the side slightly. Taking in his rough exterior, unkempt hair, bristly stubble, muscular frame and piercing blue eyes.

“What do ya want?” He prodded, seemingly irritated. 

She stepped closer to him and he backed against the wall as she expected. She gazed up at him, her bare feet and lack of thick soled boots meaning she was now an inch or so shorter than him. She wound her hand in between their bodies, plucking at the buttons on her shirt, opening them one by one. She saw his mouth open slightly as he watched her fingers dance across the fastenings, further and further down. 

Daryl’s breath caught in his throat as his mind became totally consumed by the sight in front of him. Her smooth, flawless skin, her big green eyes. Was she serious? Was this happening again? His mouth was now hanging open, his eyes unable to move from the slither of exposed skin along her torso. She took his hand and he tried not to flinch at her touch, his eyes briefly moving to her face where he caught sight of her running her tongue over that lip ring again. He tried to speak, at first only managing a breathy grunt. 

“Twice in one day?” He said in his gruff, southern drawl. 

“I have another favor to cash in” She replied, lightly twirling her fingers around his at his side 

“Ya don’t gotta have a coupon or nothin’”. He quipped unexpectedly.

Lena let a small laugh escape her, giggling bashfully at the floor and gently leaning her head on his chest. He loved the feel of her giggling against him, at something he’d said, the sound of her amusement sending a wave of something through him, though he wasn’t quite sure what it was. He squeezed her fingers, regaining her attention. 

She was pleased to see a smirk on his face when her eyes returned to him. This was meant to be fun after all. She kept her hand over his, raising them and slowly and very deliberately tracing his index and middle fingers in a straight line from her bottom lip, over her chin, down her neck, in between her breasts and down to her stomach, her skin lighting up at the touch. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she let go of his hand, for a moment he paused, summoning the courage to continue the journey back up, stopping at her chest, in between her breasts. 

His lips moved and Lena knew he was going to speak again. She pressed her index finger to his mouth and shook her head, letting her finger slip down to his chin, she nudged his head to the side and pressed her lips to his neck, almost giving him permission to slide his hand inside her shirt. His hand grazed over her breast as she kissed and nibbled her way down from his neck to his chest, pushing his vest over his shoulders.

Daryl wanted to ask her why she was doing this. Why she was so willing to give herself to him and in such secrecy but the rapidly decreasing space in his jeans was becoming an urgent distraction. He finally moved his free hand, sliding it along the back of her thigh, under her shorts as Lena stepped up her plan, taking hold of his belt and releasing it. To Daryl this was the moment he had to decide to either stop right here or let himself enjoy this one last time. He growled and clamped his arm around her waist, lifting her from the floor and walking her to the bed. He had made his decision. He lay her down on her back and she positioned her legs either side of his hips, marveling at his broad chest and shoulders as he shed his vest and shirt and kicked off his boots. He set to work on her, kissing and licking over her stomach, flicking her shirt away, exposing her breasts which he hastily took hold of, massaging and gently rolling his thumbs over her nipples. She writhed beneath him, already more than ready for him, biting her lip and clawing at his back. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her shorts and slid them down her legs, discarding them at the bottom of the bed. She sat up, her fingers fiddling with his jeans, unbuttoning and pulling the zip down in a split second. She grabbed roughly at his shoulders, forcing him closer to her before her hands roamed his chest, her lips planting feather light kisses as she went. 

She was determined, almost frenzied and Daryl struggled to figure out if it was him, or if it was just because he was there. One thing he did know, is that she liked what she saw, her hands not leaving him for longer than a few seconds. He had not encountered a woman who had showed such a genuine, sober sexual interest in him before. His only intimate experience’s occurring while he’d been drunk and seeking his brother’s respect.   
He lowered his head to her, nuzzling at the side of her face, attempting to move round to her lips but she used her hand around his cock to divert his attention. His body jolted and Lena heard a sharp intake of breath as her fingers wrapped around him. She caught his eye, flashing him a dirty smile that sent a burst of lust raging through his veins. He dipped his hand between her legs, pushing his index and middle fingers inside of her and curling them up, stroking her spot like tickling the trigger on a gun. She bucked and cried out loudly as he moved over her, laying her back on the bed, fingers still working inside her. She was getting louder and louder and as he looked down at her, sweat beading on her forehead, her chest flushing pink and her moans echoing through his mind. All at once, he had an epiphany. He had now realized how beautiful he thought she was. 

Lena was unravelling already, he was good at this. So good in fact that she had trouble keeping the noise to a reasonable level. The chances of anyone hearing at this late hour were slim to none, but nevertheless, she felt like the what was left of the entire world could hear her pleasure. He removed his fingers, gently stroking her clit for a few moments. She hadn’t noticed that she had shut her eyes. Opening them, she saw him looking down at her with what almost looked like adoration. Putting it down to the chemistry, she bit her lip and smiled at him. Hesitating no more, he lined himself up with her, looking into her eyes. She was the one to break their eye contact as he pushed inside her. 

He buried his face in her neck as he pressed into her, this time not so hard. He slid a hand under her back, feeling her raise her hips to him, and clenching around him when he was all the way in. His grunts and shallow breaths in her ear drove her closer and closer to the edge, she liked hearing him express how good it felt for him, how good she felt to him. She threaded a hand into his hair and felt him turn his head, kissing her neck again as her legs raised and pressed into his back as he moved forwards. 

“Harder” She breathed. Her hips matching his rhythm.

He obliged. Slamming into her, the bed creaking and his grunts becoming louder. He raised his body slightly, now able to look down into her face, his hair dampened by sweat. Lena found herself automatically settling a hand on the side of his face which he nuzzled into. She forced herself to move her hand and look away, running her nails on one hand down his impressive bicep and the other up and over his abdominal muscles instead. She lifted her hips higher, the sound of their bodies tangling together echoing from the cells walls when he suddenly stopped. She saw every muscle in him tense as he throbbed inside her, a loud growl emitting from his throat. Her clit tingled at the sensation of him exploding inside her and she released a pleasant sigh. He moved back, sliding out of her and shaking his head after seeing her try to sit up. 

“Wait.” He whispered. 

She gasped as he began to rub her clit slowly, the motion feeling so good it took her completely by surprise as it also occurred to her that he was making sure she was satisfied too. He gradually increased the pressure and pace, loving how she wriggled about and gripped the sheets. Her orgasm was strong, like rapid fire shooting to her nerve endings. Her toes were numb, her skin was flushed and she struggled to catch her breath. Once she had come down from her high, she scrabbled back on the bed, drawing the sheets up and over her. 

Daryl sat on the side of the bed, chewing on his bottom lip. He had partially dressed, his jeans and boots now back in place. He looped his arms through his shirt but didn’t bother fastening it. His vest was placed on his lap. He looked down at the floor. 

“Lena…” He mumbled. 

“No. We’re not doing that.” She responded quicker than she’d intended. 

He glanced sideways at her, his head still low. “Doin’ what?”

She sighed and closed her eyes briefly before opening them and looking right at him. 

“Talking about this.”

He scoffed and stood up. Shaking his head as he pulled the drape back from the door. He clenched his vest in his hand, opening the door with the other. Pausing, he looked back at her. 

“Alright. See ya ‘round” he said, leaving the cell. 

 

Three days had passed and Lena had avoided Daryl like the black plague. He had watched her like a lion stalking a deer, thinking that she hadn’t noticed. What he didn’t know, is that she noticed everything, even how he now looked at her differently. Before it was curiosity, hatred and irritation. Now it was longing, and it was plastered all over his face. 

She strolled across the yard towards Maggie and Beth, her thumbs looped into the belt holes in her pants. They both looked up as she approached, giving her broad smiles. They sat on the all in one steps used in typical prison yards, plucking leaves and dirt from vegetables in a bucket. 

“Mind if I join you?” She asked. 

Beth grinned and patted the step next to her. 

“Of course not, sit”

Lena planted herself next to Beth and peered over the lip of the bucket at the various vegetables that needed to be washed and chopped. They had managed quite the haul from just a few seeds and their results were the fruits of a lot of hard labor out in the sun day after day. 

“So, I was thinking of heading out today to see if I can scavenge anything. I’ll keep an eye out for the baby too. Wanted to ask if there was anything in particular she needed, or you.”

“She could use some more formula and if you happen to see any seeds, we could use some variety” Maggie said “Are you going alone?”

“Yeah, I’m better alone out there.” Lena replied. 

“No way! You need some backup, Daryl will go with you.” Beth chirped “Hey! Daryl!” She called out. 

“Honestly, it’s fine” Lena felt herself protest, a little too quickly.

Daryl was on the grass talking to Rick, he looked over as Beth called his name. Patting Rick on the back, he headed towards them and Lena felt herself release a breath in a hiss through her teeth. His hair stuck to his forehead and his arms glistened in the sun with sweat but he looked good, that much was true. Although she’d rather die than admit that to him. His face was partially obscured by a black bandana that he pulled down to his neck as he neared the steps. 

“Daryl, Lena says she going out on a run alone and I think you should go with her. It aint fair, not after she helped us with the Medical supplies” Beth pleaded. Daryl’s eyes lowered to the floor and he shifted on his feet, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. She waited for him to look at her and sure enough, he did, squinting at her in the sun. 

“I told her, I’m better on my own. It’s fine. Besides, I’m taking Cleo, she needs the exercise.” Lena assured him. 

“I can ride Cleo around the fence, give her some exercise” Beth volunteered.

“Ya sure? I can go with ya. Take a truck or the bike.” Daryl offered. 

Lena got up and looked over at Maggie and Beth, flashing them a brief smile before she turned and began to walk away. Daryl walked after her. 

“Lena?”

“What, Daryl?” She snapped over her shoulder. 

“Just…stop ” He placed a hand on her shoulder only to have it thrown off as she whirled around, her face stony. Angry. Behind Daryl, she could make out Maggie and Beth watching on, exchanging confused glances. She huffed loudly, looking back at Daryl, who stood in front of her waiting expectantly for her next move. 

“Fine, you can come with me. But this is my run. My rules.”

“Alright” He agreed. 

“I’m leaving soon, I just need to suit up.” She said “Meet me by the gate, if you insist on coming we’ll take the bike, save Cleo the trouble”

“Beth?” She called over his shoulder. “You can look after Cleo. Make sure she’s fed and groomed. Her saddle and bridle are stored at the back of her stable. Get Maggie to help you, she’s a big horse, be careful.”

Beth grinned from ear to ear and turned excitedly to Maggie. Lena started off towards her cell block, leaving Daryl stood in silence. 

 

It was getting increasingly difficult to find places that hadn’t already been raided, so they found themselves having to ride out even further than Rick would have usually allowed. Lena had to admit there was something she enjoyed about riding on the back of Daryl’s bike in the sun, the wind blowing through her part dreaded hair. They had been driving for a long time and the Sky was starting to develop long lines of orange and purple as the sun went down. Somewhere off the main road in the middle of nowhere, they came across a strip bar. Daryl slowed the bike to a stop at the end of the drive. 

“Hardly going to find baby formula in there” Lena joked. 

“Might find some weapons though. ‘Sides, we’re losin’ the light, could use a place to hole up for the night. Carry on at first light” He suggested. 

“Yeah, OK” She agreed and Daryl drove the bike into the parking lot and around the back of the building, shielding it from the sight of any passersby. The chances were slim, but still entirely possible. 

Lena got off the bike and went to the front of the building, glancing up at the tattered, purple sign. 

‘Velvet’

She hissed and kicked the door at the same time as unsheathing her swords in a crisscross motion behind her head. A lone walker came stumbling out into the sun, it’s arms outstretched and its rotten face gawping at her as it grabbed her shoulder. Lena heard a soft ‘thunk’ and saw a bolt shoot through it’s head, eliminating it. Daryl lowered his crossbow and caught her eye. 

“Thanks” She grumbled as she stepped inside, clicking on her flashlight and scanning the room. She whistled loudly, waiting for a few moments and hearing nothing of concern. 

The interior was furnished with plush, heavy purple drapes and golden accessories. Lena wrinkled her nose at the sight of it. A haven for seedy men, probably married to exercise their fantasies and spend a hell of a lot of money. 

Daryl was rummaging behind the bar and pulled out a large flashlight, flicking it on and standing it upright so the beam flooded onto the ceiling, lighting the majority of the venue. He let out a grunt of approval.

“We’re takin this back with us” He said, looking out across the room in search of Lena. She was climbing the steps to the stage, slowly walking towards the pole in the middle. Flyers and dollars littered the floor and stage along with glass and blood. She placed her swords on the floor and took hold of the pole with one hand, allowing herself to swing around it while she closed her eyes. 

Daryl rounded the bar and quietly took a seat, watching Lena. Her free hand extended, feeling the light breeze as her body rotated round and round. Coming to a stop, she opened her eyes to see Daryl sat down and watching her. 

“Trip down memory lane” She admitted. 

His brow furrowed “Wha?” He asked, shocked. 

“Stripped in college. I’d do anything to piss my parents off. Place was just like this.” She sighed. 

The memory of her bare, porcelain skin under his hands flashed in front of his eyes. “I’d have been in there all the damn time” He muttered inaudibly under his breath. 

“What?” She said. 

“Was just sayin’, I’m surprised is all” He lied. 

“Yeah, a lot of people were. I’m educated, from a well-off family. My parents, they were a couple of rich assholes with more money than sense. Packed me off to an all-girls boarding school and then threatened to disown me if I didn’t study finance at the University of Pennsylvania like my over sexed, coke head, older brother. So, I went to community college and studied fashion instead. Sorry-you probably don’t care about this.” She said, grabbing her swords and sitting on the edge of the stage.

He shrugged. “Fashion?” His nose wrinkled.

She studied his face for a moment, wondering why he wanted to know anything about her, before deciding to humor him. 

“Yeah, fashion. For two reasons; firstly, I wanted to learn how to make my own clothes. I had plan to join the peace corps and then go live in an off the grid eco-community and I didn’t want a cent from either of my parents. Secondly, it made my mother so mad she threw a six-thousand-dollar bottle of champagne at my head. That was pretty funny.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the memory, seeing Daryl’s mouth curl into a smirk. 

“Did ya do it?” He asked 

“Do what?”

“Ya plan.”

“Oh, yeah, I did.” She smiled. “I joined the Peace Corps and volunteered in Somalia for a while. Then when I came back, I found an Eco-Village that lived entirely off the land. No electricity, no internet. The only way my mother could have told me how much of a disappointment I was, was by carrier pigeon. I learned to live that way, it’s probably how I’ve managed to survive for so long. I learned Tae Kwon Do there too. That’s where I was when people started eating one another.”

She stopped talking, aware that the room had been filled with nothing but her voice for the last few minutes and feeling self-conscious about the fact that Daryl now knew almost her entire life story. She swung her legs back and forth under the stage, her gloved hands gripping onto the edge. This was the first time the two of them had had a conversation without making any offensive or sarcastic remarks at one another. 

Daryl got up and went back to the bar. Lena could hear the clinking of glasses and he returned with a bottle in his hand. He poured some of the golden liquid into each glass and held one out to her. She hesitated for a moment, looking from his face to the glass, when he moved it closer to her. 

“C’mon, have a drink” He encouraged. “I wanna see how red your face can get” 

She shot him an irritated look and begrudgingly took the glass, sniffing the liquid and screwing up her face, earning a small laugh from Daryl. 

“It aint great but it’s somethin’, right?” He said, sitting down on a chair opposite her and leaning forward, holding his glass out to her. She did the same and a small ‘clink’ rose up from the impact. Lena knocked back the drink, swallowing quickly, her throat and stomach burning. She coughed and wiped her mouth, a disgusted look on her face. Daryl did the same but without nearly as many dramatics. 

He placed his glass on the table and stared at her again. She ignored his gaze and shrugged off her holster, sliding her swords back into place and settling it on her lap when he finally broke the silence. 

“What happened the other day?” He prodded. Noticing her tense instantly and tighten her jaw. 

“I told you not to make a big deal out of it.” She said through her teeth. 

“I aint. Just askin’. Damn.” He muttered before taking another large mouthful of his drink. 

She hopped down from the stage and walked to the couches that ran along the side of the room. She threw her holsters on the first one and removed her coat. As much as she tried not to, she found herself looking back at him to see him leaning one, big arm on the table in front of him and glaring at her through the floppy front of his hair. She huffed loudly. 

“It’s not going to happen again, so just forget it.” 

He remained motionless. Not responding, an intense stare burning in her direction. Lena got the impression that this wasn’t going to be left alone until she put a stop to it completely. 

“You’re good at…scratching itches. Really good. But we fucked and that’s it.”

“Twice” He corrected. 

“Whatever”

“In one day” He continued. 

“I don’t need reminding Daryl, my memory isn’t impaired. Why do you insist on bringing this up? We were actually getting along.” She snapped. She turned back to the couch and sat down, bringing her legs up and crossing them underneath her. 

“I aint insistin’ on nothin! S’you that did the damn insitin with me! You started this fucked up game! Maybe we’d get along a whole lot better if ya didn’t throw yaself at me like some two-dollar whore!” He yelled. 

“I didn’t hear you begging me to stop you hypocritical prick. Only thing I’m guilty of is choosing a dumb Redneck. Next time I’ll go for class over biceps.” She uttered.

Daryl was angry. The reasons why, he wasn’t quite sure of. He hadn’t expected them to run off into the sunset together, nor did he expect her to want to jump his bones constantly, but having never been in this situation, the lack of an explanation and her cold attitude to the whole thing had filled him with rage. He stood and slowly walked towards her, placing his hands on the top of the velvet couch either side of her head and leering down at her. 

“Used to getting what ya want, huh? Maybe next time ya got an itch, you should scratch it ya damn self.” He growled before pushing himself back upright and walking to the couch that was the furthest from her. 

 

Lena removed her blades and guns and lay down, trying to push away the guilt she felt about what she had done to Daryl. She had been honest to a degree, she had a craving and he was there. She had just chosen very deliberately who she was going to indulge in her craving with. He was the best looking, the strongest, the one she would approach in a bar if the apocalypse hadn’t happened. He probably wasn’t the kind of guy she would get along with for any length of time, but it was done and despite what she had thrown at him in a fit of anger, she was pleased it had been him. She hadn’t intended to make him feel used, but felt it was part and parcel of him having sex with someone he didn’t even like. She felt a bubbling irritability rising in her chest, wanting to snap back at him, to lay her cards on the table and have it out with him. But when she stood and opened her mouth, what came out was not what she expected. 

“You want to talk about it?! Fine! It was incredible. The earth moved and I’m hopelessly in love with you. Let’s get married. Alright?!” She cried. Immediately regretting her decision to pipe up after so many minutes of quiet. Her outburst, laced with lashings of sarcasm now made it look like she was overreacting. Daryl sat up on the far couch and looked over at her, briefly shaking his head at her irate demeanor. 

“Is that what you want to hear?!” She paused. “You were nothing like I expected you to be.” Her heart was hammering in her chest, why was she saying this?! Daryl stood and moved closer to her, stopping a couple of feet from her and playing awkwardly with the piping that lined the couch.

“What’s that ‘sposed to mean?” He asked quietly. She furrowed her brow while she tried to bring up the right words. 

“I expected you to be a selfish, Redneck asshole” She admitted. 

“Nice” He scoffed. 

“But you asked me…” She trailed off, unable to believe she was having to dissect their encounters like this. “You asked me if I was sure.” 

He glanced around the room, not looking at any thing in particular as he sighed loudly. 

“So?” He said, turning his head away from her slightly so she couldn’t read his face. He was not enjoying this conversation. 

“So. That spoke volumes, Daryl. I offered myself to you and instead of just taking what you wanted, you asked me if I was sure. Not to mention the fact that you, uh…”

She dropped her gaze and wrung her hands in front of her. 

“You made sure I got what I wanted the second time. You hate me and you still did that.”

He brought his hand up to his mouth and nibbled on his thumb. Lena noticed his skin below his thumb sported some small, rounded scars, much like cigarette burns and guilt bubbled in her chest as she figured out exactly what they were. Daryl was obviously not good at dealing with his emotions. An uncomfortable silence engulfed them as they both struggled to think of something to say next. Lena shifted on the spot, unable to find any way to position her arms that was comfortable. She crossed them, hung them by her sides, held one across her stomach but nothing felt right. Her body was crawling with anxiety and she began to feel the scathing regret of her actions. She should never have touched him. She noticed his mouth move subtly, as if he were trying to speak but the words wouldn’t form. She waited until he finally spoke. 

“Last thing I expected was for ya to hit on me like that. Aint nobody ever done that before.”

He turned and began to step back and forth as he thought, still biting on his thumb. 

“I don’t...” He mumbled “…You…”

He stopped and glared at her before grunting and returning to his back and forth thinking dance. Lena’s eyebrows pulled together into a thin, confused line as she watched this display and tried to decipher what he was trying to say. Finally, he tried again. 

“I don’t hate ya” he said quietly “I guess, I- I think ya pretty or somethin' n’ it all this all came outta nowhere. Didn’t know what to think.”

Lena’s eye widened. “Oh god.” She sighed. 

“What?” He asked. 

“No, no, no.” She rambled, holding her hands up at him. “Don’t you dare do that.”

“Do what?!” He exclaimed. 

“Catch feelings for me, Daryl. Because it won’t be reciprocated.” She warned. 

“I aint! I just said ya pretty is all, forget it.” He snapped, turning and heading back to the couch at the other end of the room. 

Lena huffed loudly and lifted both hands to her head, scratching at her scalp and tilting her head up to the ceiling. What had she done?


	6. Chapter 6

Morning arrived and neither Lena or Daryl had slept. Laying in the almost unbearable atmosphere all night and pretending to be sleeping. She lifted her head from the arm of the couch, pain seared through her shoulder, a result of her laying in an awkward position. As her boots hit the floor, she noticed Daryl sitting across the club, smoking a cigarette and finishing up the bottle of alcohol. She stood and began strapping her weapons to her arms and legs before putting her coat on and equipping herself with her swords. 

Daryl had been watching her for over an hour. Why, he wasn’t entirely sure. He had studied her, the curve of her waist as she lay on her side, the soft, brown hair that framed her face in contrast to the thin braids and dreads that adorned the back of her head and fell about her shoulders. Her lip ring, which twinkled in the dim light of the flashlight as she rolled onto her back. He rolled the glass tumbler in his hand, wondering why he could never seem to look away from her. It was true he didn’t hate her. But he did dislike the way she made him feel. 

Daryl finished up what was in his glass and slammed it on the table. His throat and stomach burning hot from the alcohol. Along with the sound of the glass hitting the table, came the loud bang of Lena slamming a tin of pasta down next to it. He looked up to find her leering over him.

“I’m going outside. I’m not getting on that bike with you if you’re drunk. So, eat something, sober up and I’ll be back soon.”

“Where ya goin? We should stay together” He asked, sitting up in his chair and following her move across the room with his eyes. 

“I’m drawing the line at you escorting me while I pee, Daryl. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

He waved a hand at her in irritation and set about opening the tin in front of him with his knife. 

 

The heat was almost radiating from every surface around her as she slowly wandered through the trees, occasionally coming across the odd area of dense overhead coverage that provided her with some welcome relief in the shade. She hoped Beth had remembered to give Cleo some water back at the prison. Her boots crushed twigs and dried leaves as she paced forward. She didn’t really have to pee, instead taking the opportunity to try and collect her thoughts. She was trying to concentrate on her surroundings, remaining alert and watchful, but one thing persisted on creeping into her mind – Daryl. 

She had only ever seen what happened as sex. Everyone had needs, especially in a world where humans were clinging onto any semblance of pleasure they could. She needed to feel, anything would do, sex was the easiest way to make that happen. She had prepared herself, physically and mentally, but what she had failed to do was to make sure the Daryl was in agreement with it all. She had assumed he wouldn’t read much into it, pegging him as emotionally unavailable, selfish and brutish… but she had been wrong. Through this, she learned a valuable lesson; Instead of just assuming everything, maybe she should have just asked. 

She came to a stop, lowering herself onto a fallen tree trunk. She pushed her hood back and lowered her bandana, wiping perspiration from her forehead with her finger tips on her left hand. She tilted her head back to the sky, the warm rays licking at her face. A sudden, crystal clear memory flickered into her mind like a film staring up. Daryl above her, her hand on the side of his face and the gentle, deliberate movement of his head into the curve of her hand as he filled her and her momentary desires. She reached inside her coat and pulled out her necklace, looping her fingertip through the silver ring attached and pulling it back and forth. The quiet, metal on metal sliding noise coaxing her out of her daydream. 

“What’s that?” 

Adrenaline spiked in Lena’s veins and she snatched at the knife in her boot. She threw it up in front of her, caught it by the handle and turned, hurling it in the direction of the voice. The knife hit a tree with a subtle thud, embedding deep into the bark. Lena’s eyes flickered to the left of the knife’s hilt, to Daryl’s annoyed expression. 

“Still havin’ a hard time believin’ ya aint tryin’ to kill me.” He said, raising a hand and wrapping it around the knife handle. He pulled hard on the blade and it slid out of the tree trunk, leaving a harsh, jagged mark. He slowly approached her as she stood up and replaced her bandana over her chin and nose. 

“It’s not advisable to sneak up on me like that” She warned as he turned the knife in his hand, offering her the handle. 

“Good job ya got crappy aim” He teased. She snatched the knife from him and slid it back into it’s holster in her boot. 

“Startle me like that again and you’ll be on the sharp end of a much better shot” She said, heading back in the direction Daryl had emerged from. He followed close behind. She could feel his stare on her, watching her every move. Why did he have to do that?

“Well, what is it’?” He suddenly asked. 

Lena exhaled steadily and rolled her eyes. For someone who mostly skulked around in the shadows and wasn’t a people person, he could be annoyingly inquisitive when he wanted to be. 

“It’s a ring.” She said. 

“Yours?” he persisted. 

“What is this? An interrogation? You wanna pin me down and water board me too?!” She complained. “It’s not mine. It belongs to my husband.”

Daryl stopped Walking. Noticing the sounds of him following behind her cease, she glanced over her shoulder. He was completely still, his mouth slightly agape as if he were trying to say something. She studied his expression, taken aback by his reaction. 

“Ya married?” He mumbled awkwardly after a few moments. “Is he…is he dead?”

Her eyes dropped to the floor, mixed feelings of rage and sadness welling up inside her. 

“Was very much alive the last time I saw him” She whispered, pulling her bandana down and taking a deep breath. “Daryl, it’s fine” She assured him. But he was now pacing back and forth on the spot, his hand worriedly rubbing his chin.

“I screwed another man’s wife?! That aint fine!” He snapped. 

“Daryl…”

“Ya didn’t think it was important enough to bring up? Or, was ya just thinkin’ about ya damn self as usual?!” His voice was getting louder and Lena was fast becoming aware that any more of this increasingly heated exchange would mean they were drawing Walkers to them. 

“Daryl it’s not that simple-”

“What the hell!” He raged. “Where is he?! He gonna turn up out the blue and start asking why the hell I’ve been messin’ around with his ol’ lady?!” Lena lunged at him, shoving him against a tree and snapping him out of his panicked rambling.

“Shut up!” She hissed, her face close to his and her forearm clamped across his chest. “You will draw every Walker within a ten-mile radius here with your bitching and then it won’t matter who fucked who because we’ll both be disintegrating monsters with our guts trailing along behind us. I will answer your questions, but we’re going back to the bike and out of the woods. Yes?” 

His breathing was heavy and his face stony, but he gave her a nod and she quickly released him. She knew he could have pushed her away in seconds if he’d wanted to, but he knew she was right. 

“And less of the ‘ol lady'. I’m only 28.” She spat.

 

As they emerged from the trees, Daryl charged across the gravelly surface, overtaking Lena and stopping in front of her. He shot her an angry glare, demanding answers. Lena shifted on the spot and bit her lip. 

“I didn’t tell you because it’s irrelevant.” She started. 

Daryl grunted loudly. "I would never have touched ya if i'd known"

“You and I...it was just sex, Daryl. He’s not going to turn up and I owe him absolutely nothing. So, you didn’t need to know.” She said. 

He continued to watch her, silently dragging more information out of her. 

“We met when I was living at the Eco-Village. Hadn’t even been married a month before the first Walkers showed up. It was a bit of a whirlwind. I fell for him from the moment I met him and we were married within four months. Turns out he only showed me the person he wanted me to see.”

She pushed past him and continued Walking around the strip bar to the bike, parked at the back of the building. She stopped when she reached it, keeping her back turned to him. 

“Three days before the Village was overrun by the dead, I caught him in bed with someone else. She was pretty, much prettier than me. She had this bright blonde hair, blue eyes and was apparently as naive as I was. He told me it was my fault, I was too distant with him, not affectionate enough. He never said sorry once, I apologized more times than I can remember. He cheated on me and I said sorry. He threw his wedding ring back at me, but never actually said we were over.”

Daryl was now a lot calmer as he slowly moved around her so he could see her face. 

“Sounds like an asshole.” He mumbled

The comment earned him a small smile. “He was. When the dead arrived, it transpired that the three of us were the last ones to run for the gate. I was behind the both of them. I remember running as fast as my legs could carry me. There were hundreds of Walkers just behind me, I could smell them they were so close. He dropped his jacket. It tripped me up. When I hit the deck, I remember looking up at him over the dirt and seeing him hauling the gates shut with her right beside him. The two of them, looking down at me on the floor as the crowd of teeth behind me got nearer and nearer. Then, y’know what he does? He takes her hand. He stands there, holding her fucking hand in front of me after leaving me there to die.”

“Jesus” Daryl sighed.

“I got to my feet, ran to the nearest tree and climbed as fast as I could. I sat in that tree for almost three days. Had to use my jacket to tie myself to the branches so I didn’t fall asleep and drop down on the walkers like a steak from the sky. Eventually, they got distracted by something and moved on.”

“Ya not seen him since?” Daryl asked. 

“No. But it wasn’t through lack of trying. I spent months and months trying to track him down but I found nothing.”

She finally looked up at him. 

“Now do you see why it’s irrelevant? He’s not going to turn up and beat the holy hell out of you for touching me. Even if he did turn up, I’d cut him into little pieces and feed him to Bonnie and Clyde” She mused.   
Daryl huffed with laughter and caught her eye. She smiled at him. 

“Alright, I get it” He said. “But why keep the ring?”

She reached back inside her coat and held the silver ring up in front of her. It glinted in the sunlight. 

“All I have left is my strength. The knowledge that no matter what this world throws at me, I’ll survive it. My swords, this ring. They remind me of that.”

Daryl flashed her another small smile and fidgeted on his feet, turning away and glancing out across the landscape.

“All the shit in the world right now, It aint stronger than what’s inside. The moment ya think it is, that’s when ya time’s up.” He said, briefly catching her eye, stepping past her and starting up the bike. 

 

The house was huge and it reminded Lena of the one she’d grown up in. It’s tall, white pillars framed the oversized and elaborate front door atop a flight of steep, marble steps. In front of the building, was a circular fountain, now green and rotting. The drive was long, trees provided a welcome canopy from the sun as the bike wound slowly around corners and up to the towering mansion at the end. Lena thought it had to have at least ten bedrooms and it’s grounds were securely fenced in by a sturdy brick wall that looked taller than Lena and Daryl combined. 

The gate at the end of the drive was ajar and Lena hopped off the bike to push it further open to allow Daryl to drive inside. He parked it in some shrubs, allowing the leaves and branches to provide it with camouflage and the two of them proceeded carefully and quietly. Lena re-equipped her bandana but left her hood down, her swords drawn and clasped tightly in her hands. Daryl tried the door, finding it locked from the inside and far too heavy to be kicked down. He crept along the front of the building and stopped in front of a window to the side of the house. Lena weighed up the pros and cons of smashing the window. The sound would draw any Walkers to them from the inside, but it would allow them to dispose of them straight away. She nodded and Daryl turned his crossbow around, the handle facing the window. He shielded his face with his other hand and smashed the glass. The sound was louder than Lena expected but she wasn’t worried, they were well equipped to cope with a few rich, reanimated corpses. 

Daryl knocked the majority of the glass from the frame and held the drape aside. The two of them peered through into the dark room and waited for any movements or sounds. Nothing. Lena passed Daryl a head torch, the same one they’d used for clearing the prison block on the day they’d first met. He positioned it on the front of his head and climbed through the window frame, waving Lena through after him. She hopped up into the gap, her boots balanced precariously on the window ledge, her eyes lifting to see Daryl stood in front of her, his hand outstretched. 

“Huh. Good sir.” She smirked, taking his hand and allowing him to help her down from the ledge. His lips curled up into a half smile, her warm fingers clasped in his creating a nervous sensation in the pit of his stomach. 

“Who says chivalry is dead, even the redneck has some manners.” She muttered. 

“Douchebag” he shot back. 

She squinted in the dim glow from their head lamps, her eyes adjusting to the dusty, yellow hue. The room was huge with floor to ceiling bookshelves lining the walls. A long desk stretched through the middle and a globe on a wooden frame stood off to the side. Daryl stepped towards the globe and traced his fingertips over the surface. Lena appeared beside him, her partially leather covered hand clasping the metal fixture at the top of the sphere. 

“You ever seen one of these before?” She asked. 

“A globe? I aint feral y’know” He snipped. 

She pulled the globe open, revealing a small collection of expensive whiskeys and bourbons and two crystal tumblers. A small, wooden box was placed in the middle which contained several Cuban cigars. His eyes widened at the sight and he glanced up at her. 

“Not all rich folks have good taste in furnishings. These things are ugly as shit but usually house some pretty decent rocket fuel. My father had one just like it. Happy Birthday” She said through her bandana, turning and slowly inching toward the doorway, her swords gripped in her fists. 

The giant, sweeping, marble staircase was a looming and dramatic feature in the entrance hall. Lena’s boots clicked loudly as she walked from one side to the other, heading for the kitchen. 

Daryl was busy shoving a bottle into a backpack and cigars into his pants pockets when he heard Lena call his name. He lifted his crossbow and shuffled quietly out of the room and across the vast entrance hall. Coming to the kitchen door, he could see Lena stood in the middle of the room, her hands placed on a high wooden table used for carving meat. Her swords had been placed back into their holster and her bandana was around her neck, showing a wide grin on her face. 

“Hey, Crossbow? You want some Caviar with that bourbon?”

Daryl’s eyes scanned the room, taking in all the open cupboard doors and the rows of tinned food. The kitchen was fully stocked with everything they needed but Daryl couldn’t quell the rising sense of unease in his gut.   
“Nah, this don’t feel right” Daryl mused, approaching a cupboard full of tinned fruit. 

“No, it doesn’t. I say we gather as much as we can carry, check upstairs and get the hell out of here.” She agreed. 

They both set about packing as many tins into bags as possible before climbing the stairs to check the upstairs rooms for anything else useful. Lena nudged a door open on the upper floor with her boot and waited for any signs of movement. Hearing nothing, she slipped into the room, pleased to see it had been the room of a small child, probably a girl judging by the princess wallpaper and garish pink sheets on the bed. She collected some clothes and a couple of toys before stepping back into the hallway. Daryl was charging towards her, his face and jaw pulled tight. Before she could ask what was wrong, he had bundled her into a storage closet and ripped both of their headlamps off.

“Daryl, wha-” She tried to say, but he just clamped a hand over her mouth. 

“Shhh” He hushed. She nodded and he dropped his hand. Adrenaline spiked in her veins as she ran through the possibilities of what might be happening in her mind. It had to be people, Daryl wouldn’t react like this if it were Walkers. He switched one headlamp off and kept the other clasped in his hand while he looked down at the door handle, relieved to see a key in the lock. He turned it, a light click sounded from the device, securing the door.   
There was hardly any space for the two of them coupled with the large bags of supplies they’d collected. Daryl’s body was pressed against Lena’s with no option of him being able to move back any further. Shelves full of linen and towels prevented them from being able to move further into the closet. 

“What is it?” She whispered

“Men. ‘Bout twelve, fifteen of em. Just arrived on foot.”

Lena could now hear thudding and muffled voices from downstairs, followed by footsteps on the stairwell. She held her breath as they neared. 

Daryl could hear her suck in a deep breath and hold it in her lungs as the footsteps grew louder. He flicked the head lamp off to avoid casting a glow under the door and the two of them stood in the darkness, pressed against one another. The footsteps passed the closet and continued down the hall. More followed and the men outside bickered and swore about who was taking what bedroom. 

Lena slowly released her breath and became aware of how hard her heart was hammering in her chest. She hated the thought of having to deal with more hostile survivors. Walkers were commonplace now, becoming nothing more than an irritation to her. But people, the living, they were worse. They were dangerous, savage and unpredictable and while she had learned to hone her fear and use it as a tool, it didn’t mean she felt it any less.   
Daryl could almost feel her heart pounding as he shifted against her. He had no doubt that she could handle herself and was more than capable of massacring everyone in the house but there was no denying that in this moment, she was scared. 

“Ya ok?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper. She nodded quickly.

“Last time I was in a building full of men…” She breathed. 

“Yeah, I know.” He interrupted. “S’gonna be alright”

She listened to the ruckus going on outside the closet, loud, boisterous voices jeering and laughing from what seemed like every direction. Her breathing was now heavy and rapid as she leaned her head forward. When Daryl did the same, his forehead connecting with hers, she almost startled and pulled away but chose instead to remain there. 

Daryl’s body had tensed up completely, not from fear or worry about the situation, but from the sensation of the physical contact that he was not used to. While it was unusual for him, it was not entirely unpleasant. He allowed himself to close his eyes and wait. 

They stood there for hours, Lena’s feet were burning and Daryl has resigned himself to the fact that they had to use each other as leaning posts to conserve their energy. Her head rested on his shoulder while her hands had crept around his waist, clinging onto the sides of his leather vest. Daryl wasn’t sure where to put either of his hands, so just stood with them at his sides, admittedly enjoying the warmth from having her head rested on his shoulder, so close to his neck. 

The voices had died down and Daryl assumed it was because night had drawn in and everyone was asleep. He moved his head to the side, his chin grazing over Lena’s forehead.

“Hey, it’s gone quiet, we should try and get out of here” He whispered. She lifted her head and quickly removed her arms. 

“Yeah, OK” She agreed “Unlock the door and I’ll take a look”

Daryl clicked the lock on the door and Lena shuffled towards it, peering out of the inch-wide gap and down the hall. In the room at the end she could make out the outline of a sleeping man on a bed, the moonlight outside shining on the window and casting a blue glow in the room. Soft snoring travelled along the hall and Lena knew this was as good a chance as any for them to make their move. She reached back, keeping her eyes focused on the snoring stranger at the end of the hall and tugged on Daryl’s clothing, signaling that it was now or never. Daryl grabbed the bags and Lena pushed the door open further, stepping out into the hall. Daryl followed, freezing when the door creaked loudly. They stopped and listened, Lena shooting him a worried look. The man in the bed at the end of the hall stirred and turned over before falling back into a humming snore. They continued on, descending the stairs and heading for the broken window at the side of the house.

As Lena passed the kitchen, she did a double take and froze, her feet rooted to the spot. On the counter was a huge metal cooking pot. Crimson red splashed the work surface and stood in stark contrast to the white tiles and marble countertops. Littered around the cooking pot were human limbs. 

Lena swallowed hard and felt the white-hot rage burn inside her as she stared at the human flesh that decorated the surfaces. 

“Lena” Daryl called to her, but she didn’t move. Her eyes locked on the arms and feet that had been harshly hacked off. 

Daryl walked up to her and followed her gaze, seeing the macabre scene for himself. 

“Cannibals” She said through her teeth. 

“Yeah” He replied “C’mon, we gotta move” He turned and went to retrace his steps, only to find that Lena was still stood completely still in the same place. 

A noise from the stairwell managed to rouse a reaction from her. Daryl couldn’t keep up with where to look because Lena moved so quickly, sliding a blade from up her sleeve, she threw it in the direction of the noise followed by a dull ‘thunk’. A tall man in a leather coat fell forwards off the stairs and crashed to the floor, the blade firmly embedded into the middle of his forehead. His shotgun clattered noisily onto the tiles and Lena could hear the others beginning to leap into action on the upper floor. She glanced over at Daryl who was staring at her victim on the floor. Now she moved, she turned on her heel and made her way past him, grabbing his arm as she passed and pulling him into the next room. 

“Let’s get out of here before I slaughter every last one of them.” She growled. 

 

They stopped halfway back to the prison at the same abandoned farm as before. Only this time, they used the half demolished barn for shelter. Daryl thought it necessary to have some semblance of a wall around them during the dark hours. Lena sat with her back to the stone wall, staring out at nothing in particular. Daryl perched on a wooden box opposite. He fiddled with his crossbow, his eyes never leaving her.

“Ya alright?” He asked, breaking the silence. 

“Fine” She replied.

She didn’t look fine. She looked angry, disturbed and distant. But he chose not to push her, opting instead to leave her be. After a while, she looked up at him. She was beginning to dislike him a lot less now she had spent more time with him. He’d shown an interest in her story and had delivered more than one chivalrous and genuinely caring moment. She found herself admiring him, his strong arms, his floppy, messy hair, the way he always carried himself with strength and courage. Maybe Carol was right, maybe there was more to him than she’d anticipated.

“What were you? Before?” She suddenly asked. His eyes shot up from his task and he hesitated before responding. 

“Why ya wanna know ‘bout me?” He eventually responded. 

“You know all about me now. That’s how this works, isn’t it? Ask each other questions, have a conversation, y’know, to feel normal?” She said. 

He shrugged and chewed his lip. 

“Aint never felt normal to me.” He mumbled. 

Lena scoffed. “Never mind” She said, getting to her feet and dusting her pants down. She had pulled her bandana down and tied her hair up into a high pony tail. Her eyes glistened in the light from Daryl’s flashlight, which was shoved between two hay bales. Lena stretched and went to exit the barn. 

“Where ya goin?” Daryl enquired. 

“For a walk, conversation’s dried up in here.” She prodded. 

Daryl sighed and shook his head. “Fine” He said “Ya wanna know what I was before all this?”

Lena sat back down, leaning on the wall again and picking up a few strands of hay from the floor. She twisted and twirled them around her fingers and waited for Daryl to speak. 

“I was just driftin’ around with Merle... doing whatever he said we were gonna be doin’ that day. I was nobody. Nothing. Some redneck asshole and an even bigger asshole for a brother.”

Lena studied his face, he was almost refusing to look her in the eye and she could only hazard a guess that was sadness, maybe laced with some shame. 

“You miss him?” She said.

He nodded subtly. 

“My brother was an asshole too” She admitted. “Name was Tyler. He had a thing for narcotics. Got himself put in prison. I visited him sometimes. Never thought I’d be living inside one out of choice. Funny how things change.” She laughed quietly to herself and Daryl allowed himself a glimpse of her smile. Quiet soon resumed and they sat in each other’s company, not speaking, only looking up every now and then to watch one another. It was Lena who spoke first. 

“I don’t think you’re an asshole” She said, her face deadly serious. “I mean, you’re not an easy person to like, either. But you’re not an asshole.” 

He blinked in disbelief, had she just said something nice to him? How should he respond to this one? 

“Thanks. I think.” He said, giving her a small smile. “I uh…meant what I said before, back at the strip club.”

Lena searched her memories for what he might be referring to, coming up only with insults and angry comments. 

“The part about be being a two-dollar whore?” She said, levelling her eyes at him. 

“The part about me thinkin’…”

He looked down into his lap at his crossbow bolts, the tops of his ears poked through his hair, flushed red with what Lena had guessed was embarrassment. She sat completely still, not wanting to startle him or encourage him to neglect to finish his sentence. 

“…that ya pretty…I do. I mean, ya are.” 

One of her eyebrows shot up and she studied him. He was still looking down, his ears now bright pink. She had told him not to do this, not to read too much into anything.

“You mean that in a purely platonic way, right?” She asked, finally earning herself his attention. 

“Hell yeah” He answered. “Aint no damn romance novel”

Lena laughed again and played with the strap around her right thigh. 

“Well, thank you for the compliment” She said politely. “Not so bad yourself, Biceps. I might start calling you that instead of ‘Crossbow’.”

She noticed a flicker of confusion cross his face, before he wrinkled his nose and shook his head. 

“Stop it” He mumbled. 

“What, you think I picked you at random?” She smirked. 

“I dunno” he muttered

Her playful giggle sent a stab of affection through him, he ignored it, shoving it into a box at the back of his mind and refusing to acknowledge it. 

“What makes you so attractive, is that you have no idea” She mused. 

Daryl’s cheeks now flushed pink and he stared at her through his hair. “I aint got no clue what ya talkin’ ‘bout, woman.” 

She licked her lips and sighed, getting to her feet and stepping in front of him. He looked up at her from his spot on the wooden box. 

“You just can’t take a compliment can you, Biceps?” She jested, running her index finger down his left arm from his shoulder to his elbow. The bumpy, toned terrain of his muscles not lost on her. He initially flinched at her touch before gazing down at her finger as it travelled across his skin. Her touch was addictive, like electricity, sparks and jolts shooting through him and he wished she wouldn’t stop. 

She stepped back from him and tilted her head to the side, giving him a quick wink. 

“In a purely platonic way, of course” She said. 

“Thanks, I guess” He grumbled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short update for tonight. Thanks for all the comments and kudos so far. It's lovely to read that people are enjoying this.

Back at the prison, Lena was exhausted. She lay on the grass in front of her block in the dwindling sunlight, Cleo curled up next to her. The horses big body radiated heat and she grunted and snorted as she nibbled on the grass around them. Lena had showered and changed her clothes, now wearing a pair of jeans, her boots and a white tank top. Her mousy brown hair hung about her shoulders and she set to re-threading the beads in the few dread locks she had. 

Their run had been reasonably successful. Rick was delighted with the things she had picked up for baby Judith and the extra food they’d returned with. Although they hadn’t found any formula, Lena did manage to dig out some seed packets from a drawer in the kitchen of the big house. They now had some green beans, strawberries and herb seeds to plant. Lena wasn’t content with the lack of fruition from their travels. She had set out to get baby formula and so had plans to go back out again, still undecided if she was to go alone or not. 

She drew her legs up and rested her elbows on her knees and giggled as Cleo snorted partially chewed grass from her nose and nudged at Lena’s side. 

“Alright, alright” She cooed “I’m giving you attention, see?” She gently stroked the horses neck. “Big baby.”

The horse suddenly stiffened and her head shot up, looking past Lena to something behind her. Her ears pointed skyward and twitched subtly, as if straining to hear. Lena looked back over her shoulder to see Daryl, Beth and Carl crossing the blocks yard towards her. They were carrying bowls of food. Cleo thumped about on the ground as she got to her feet, backing nervously away and keeping her eyes firmly locked on the two newcomers. Lena stayed put. 

“Hey” Carl said as they stopped the other side of the fence. 

“Hi” She replied, squinting slightly as a tiny fly buzzed frantically around her face. She batted it away. 

“We were wondering if we could come sit with you and Cleo. We brought you some food” Carl, peered at her from under his oversized Sherriff’s hat as he spoke. 

“Of course. Gates open” She shrugged. The three of them made their way up the fence and through the gate. Lena’s eyes flickered over to Cleo, who was now far enough away to watch from a safe distance, her tail flicking her hindquarters and her head shyly rising up every now and then to monitor what was going on. Beth sat next to Lena, while Carl and Daryl sat opposite them. Daryl immediately focused on his top priority, which was demolishing the meal in his bowl, shoveling large spoonful’s of pasta into his mouth. Carl turned slightly to focus on Cleo going about her business on the other side of the grass. Lena reached into her pocket and her fingers clasped a silver bracelet. 

“Beth, I wanted to express my gratitude for you looking after Cleo while I was gone. Her coat looks great, have you been grooming her?” Lena asked.

Beth beamed at her, flashing her fine set of bright white and well looked after teeth. “Yeah, Maggie helped me. She was real shy with us at first, but we just sat on the grass and she came over to us eventually. She’s real beautiful.”

Lena quickly looked over at Cleo, who’s coat was still shining in the evening light. She removed the bracelet from her pocket and handed it to Beth. 

“It’s not much, but I found this. I don’t even know if it’ll fit. I just thought it was nice, thought you might like it.” She confessed, watching as Beth’s innocent, happy smile grew even bigger as she took the piece of jewelry from Lena’s hand. The small silver bangle had been engraved with an intricate and pretty, floral pattern and Lena had thought of Beth straight away when she’d come across it in the jewelry box of the little girl’s room in the big house. She slid it over her hand and tilted her head, admiring how the pattern caught the light.

“I love it! It’s so pretty! Thank you!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands around Lena’s neck. Taken aback by the sudden physical contact, Lena smiled and awkwardly raised a hand, patting Beth on the back. She caught Daryl’s eye. He was staring at her across the top of his bowl which was still raised to his face.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

“Can I see Bonnie and Clyde?” Carl asked out of nowhere. 

Lena let out a small laugh. “Sure, you can go get them from their pen and tie them to the fence for me. I separate them so there’s one on each side, confuses the other Walkers so they don’t tend to congregate much out there. But you have to finish your food first.” 

Carl nodded and began picking at his food. Lena saw Daryl let out a small laugh and shake his head as he placed the bowl on the grass. He leaned back on his elbows. 

“Something you find amusing, Biceps?” Lena challenged.

“Yeh, you bein’ all mother hen” He smirked.

Beth giggled from beside her. “Is that what ya call him?! Biceps?” She chucked. 

Lena laughed along with her, looking up to see Carl doing the same. 

“I thought it was a pretty good nickname.” Lena admitted. 

The laughter around him slowly escalated and Daryl huffed loudly. “Alright, alright. Stop. All of y’all. Quit pickin’ on me”

Lena hadn’t expected to feel such a pull towards him when his eyes met hers. She was unable to look away, something pulling at her, coaxing her not to drop her gaze and to keep the eye contact. Her mind raced and she cursed herself for not being strong enough to simply look away. His stare was powerful, alluring and mysterious and she wished she knew what was going on in his head. 

Beth was getting to her feet and stepping between them, her passing in front of them both snapping them out of their trance. They both started visibly and fidgeted in their places. Beth and Carl were now heading towards the wooden pen at the side of Cleo’s stable that housed Bonnie and Clyde. 

Lena focused on Cleo, who was now inching towards them, she assumed out of pure curiosity and maybe a small desire for attention. Daryl lit a cigarette and puffed plumes of white smoke from his lungs and Lena noticed it rising in the air before fading to nothing. She could still feel his eyes on her. She picked up a bowl that Daryl had offered her and attempted to eat a few mouthfuls of pasta. 

“You’re staring at me” She stated plainly. 

“So?” He answered. “You just been starin’ right back” 

“Sorry” She mumbled “What are you doing out here, Daryl? Aren’t you usually up in the tower, or skulking about skinning a rabbit somewhere at this time?”

He picked at the grass next to him, shredding it blade by blade and tossing them aside. 

“Brought ya food” He said after a long hesitation. 

“Carl or Beth would have brought me food.” She levelled her eyes at him, giving him a stern look. “You’re a terrible liar, Biceps. You wanted an excuse to come over here and talk to me”

He sat up and copied Lena’s position of resting his elbows on his knees, taking one last long drag on his cigarette and flicking it through the fence to the gravel on the other side. 

“Whatever” he mumbled. 

“I don’t see you denying it” She jested. 

Lena stifled a laugh, letting out a small snort and catching his eye again. A smile spread across his lips and he threw a handful of grass at her. She raised her hands, shielding her face from the barrage of green stems. When she lowered them, he was still smiling at her.

“Can I ask a favour?” She said. 

Daryl’s face changed from smiling to a look of confusion and slight concern. “Ya kiddin’ me, right? Thought ya said that wasn’t happenin’ again?”

“Oh my god. I don’t mean that!” Lena cried, throwing her own handful of grass back at him. “One track mind.”

“Hey, you’re the one that started usin’ me. What ya expect me to think?” 

Lena hadn’t heard it said out loud before. The harsh reality of it. She had used him. To satisfy her own needs. Although she hoped he had at least got something out of it, she was becoming increasingly worried that he was feeling more than she was. 

“You’re right, nevermind.” She waved her hand at him, motioning for him to forget she had said anything. 

Quiet fell around them, the only sounds coming from the fence as Carl and Beth immersed themselves in deep discussion about Bonnie and Clyde, the two Walkers swaying back and forth in front of them as they clutched onto their ropes. Lena felt awkward and wanted to get up and walk away, seriously considering heading back to her cell when Daryl’s voice interrupted her thoughts. 

“What ya need?” 

She shook her head and gave him a flat smile. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it”

“C’mon, don’t be an ass. What is it?” He pressed. 

She locked eyes with him once again, trying to read what was behind them. 

“I was wondering if you’d come with me on another run. I’m determined to get Judith some more formula and once she’s off that she’s going to need some decent baby food. Cleo needs more horse feed too and her shoes need some attention. There’s a lack of farriers around these days.”

“Yeah. Sure. When?” He replied straight away. 

“Oh, um. Tomorrow?”

“Alright.”

 

Cleo began to inch closer and closer to Daryl from behind him. Lena watched her carefully, making sure she wasn’t going to freak out and trample him. She seemed calm enough, smelling along the grass and lifting her view to him. 

“You got company” Lena said, nodding behind him. He spun around, seeing the large horse a few feet away. 

“Come here” She said. He looked back at her to see her patting the grass beside where she was sitting. He scrabbled backwards, using his arms and heels to propel himself over the ground until he was next to her.  
“She needs to see you’re not a threat to me. She can be a tad overprotective.” 

She looked at him beside her and brought her index finger up to her lips in a ‘shh’ motion. Cleo moved forwards again, her nose now following the trail from where Daryl had been sitting over to Lena. Reaching her boot she snuffled over it, sniffing all over her. Lena raised her hand and tickled the horse between her eyes. 

“It’s OK. You know Daryl. He fed you and got you water, remember?” She whispered. Cleo snorted loudly and jolted backwards when she hazarded a sniff of the archer.

“Cleo, remember your manners!” She scolded. Moving closer to Daryl. His hip started to tingle when she shifted closer, her side touching his and causing him to tense up. 

“Daryl isn’t going to hurt us” she assured, sending a jolt of shock through him by taking his hand in hers. She raised their hands to the horse’s face, placing Daryl’s fingers on the soft fur. The horse fell quiet and allowed the interaction. 

“Hey girl” He said quietly, seeing Cleo’s eyes scanning him. “Remember me?”

Lena left her hand on top of his, gently pushing it down and flattening it on the warm surface of Cleo’s head. She slowly moved their hands down before Daryl felt the velvety smooth skin of the horse’s nose. He smiled at the situation, his hand clasped in Lena’s, pressed onto a huge, intelligent and graceful creature. His muscles began to relax as he settled into the sensation of Lena’s hip and thigh against his.  
Cleo stepped back, leaving both their hands in the air and Daryl utterly speechless when Lena moved her hand to under his and linked their fingers. He tensed up again and quickly looked at her face. Her bottom lip was partially clamped under her top front teeth and she was glaring at both of their hands entwined in the air in front of them. 

She had no idea what she was doing, why she was doing it or what had made her do it. It had come like a bolt out of the blue, this overwhelming urge to hold his hand and she was completely, utterly unable to fight it. She was holding her breath, biting down on her lip and sensing the rising floods of panic begin to charge through her. She stared at their hands, her light, soft skin held in his tanned, calloused fingers. She fought to bring herself back to her senses, to try and regain some logical thought. But all she could think about, was how well their fingers laced together in the perfect, comfortable basket weave pattern.  
Daryl was completely still, reluctant to even breathe too loudly in case she ripped her hand away and ran off. He was completely baffled by this random act of affection towards him, when she had only ever maintained that their relationship was platonic. Two people that had just had sex a couple of times. No feelings involved. At least not for her anyway. He wasn’t entirely sure if he felt anything for her, but what he was sure of, was that he didn’t want to stop holding her hand. He heard her release a loud sigh. 

“What-” he started.

“I’m sorry” She said, her eyes still intensely focused on their connection. 

Daryl could see her chest rising and falling, as if she were beginning to fret. She still had not made an attempt to remove her hand and his heart was now beginning to increase its pace. What was he supposed to do in this situation? What was even going on?

“I don’t know why I did this. I’m sorry” She repeated. She still did not move an inch.

“S’ok.” He uttered, taking a leap and gently squeezing her hand. She flinched slightly at the squeeze of her fingers and released her lip from her teeth, her lip ring now glinting in the light. Daryl studied her face for some sign that she wanted him to go away, noticing her breathing becoming more rapid. 

“I should…let go” She stammered. 

“Uh…yeah. I mean, If ya want” He replied, willing her to change her mind. 

She surprised him further when she finally moved, drawing her legs to her and crossing them. She placed their hands on her knee. Daryl had never been more confused in his life. 

“What are ya doin’?” He asked.

She examined the back of his hand, dots tattooed on each knuckle. 

“Falling victim to my persistent, itching and damaging impulsivity again” She said, almost to herself. 

Daryl half smiled. “I don’t even know what the hell that means. But…aint nobody ever wanted to hold my hand before. If ya don’t wanna, just let go. It aint rocket science”

She glanced sideways at him. “You want me to let go?”

By now her palm was becoming increasingly warm and she could feel his was the same but he continued to squeeze her fingers with a gentle pressure that was not entirely unpleasant. She had to wait a few moments for a reply to her question as his eyes darted around the yard, over to the far side where Carl and Beth were fastening Bonnie and Clyde to the fence and Cleo was enjoying a long drink from the large bucket Daryl had given her. Lena waited patiently. 

“No.” He finally muttered, chewing on his bottom lip.

She snatched her hand from his, got to her feet and began to charge into the cell block. It happened so fast, Daryl’s head was spinning as he stood up and raced after her. She threw the iron gate open and stomped inside.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some triggering material in the next two chapters. Implied sexual assault, strong language, explicit violence. 
> 
> As always, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

Changing his mind about following her, Daryl called over to Beth and Carl and decided to head back to their cellblock, giving Lena her space and hoping she might grace him with an explanation in the morning. 

Lena paced about in the communal area outside her cell, weaving in between the metal tables and chairs. A chorus of quiet cursing, huffing and sighing echoing around the octagonal shaped area. She knew she would have to explain her actions to Daryl, she owed him that much. But it meant having to admit one or two things she really wasn’t comfortable talking about. Her actions had consequences, and when those consequences involved someone else’s feelings, she knew the right thing to do was to come clean. 

Morning arrived and Daryl sat on the bottom bunk in his cell, fully clothed and boots on. His back resting against the cold wall behind him. He cleaned his crossbow and was checking the bolts when he looked up to see Lena leaning on the wall in the doorway dressed in black camo pants, all her holsters and straps, a black tank top and her Bandana around her neck. She held her coat and her swords in her hand. 

“Morning” She said, running the toe of her heavy, knee high, lace up boots along a crack in the floor. 

“Hey” He replied. 

“I, um…I’m heading out soon. I’ll understand if you don’t want to come along. Just thought I’d be…straight up and ask you first.” She stammered as she transferred her weight onto both feet, standing upright and clasping her coat in both hands. 

Daryl let his eyes roam her from head to toe and back again before answering, unable to get past his increasing attraction to her. Holding her hand the night before, had awakened something in him that both terrified and angered him. He now knew he had formed something in the way of feelings for her, but had no idea what to do with it. 

“Ya can handle yourself. Ya don’t really need me out there.” He said. 

Her gaze dropped to the floor, her boot once again tracing lines and cracks on the ground. 

“Yeah, I can handle myself and no, I don’t need you. But, I asked you because… I guess I wanted your company. But it’s OK, I understand. I’ll see you around. Maybe” She turned and walked out of the cell, making her way to the exit. Her stomach had turned and the voice in the back of her mind kept reminding her of how weak she was being. 

_Pull yourself together, Lena._

She climbed the stairs to the exit and pushed the heavy door open into the sunshine. 

Daryl stared at the spot on the floor where she had been stood. He hadn’t intended to sound like he didn’t want to accompany her on her trip, his lack of effective communication skills in this area hindering him slightly. He sighed and looked down at his crossbow, his vision then lifting to his vest on the chair. 

“Shit” He muttered, getting to his feet, pulling on his vest and picking up his crossbow. As he turned to leave the cell, he almost ran right into Carol. 

“Stop right there. Now backup. I need to talk to you” She ordered, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently nudging him back into his cell. She regarded him with suspicion as she tilted her head back and studied his face. 

“What’s going on?” She asked. 

Daryl furrowed his brow. “What ya talkin ‘bout?”

“With you and Lena” She said, not bothering to shroud her concerns.

“What? Nothin. She asked me to go on a run with her.” He responded, attempting to seem as blasé as possible. Carol could see straight through him, in his whole life, he had never met anyone that was able to tell what he was thinking as well as her. She glanced over her shoulder, checking the walkway was clear and they were out of earshot before looking back at him. 

“A few nights ago, I went to Lena’s cellblock to take her some food. When I got there, I stopped outside her cell and decided not to go any further. She was in there with someone…you know…”

Daryl’s heart lurched. 

_Oh shit._

“…So I walked away and headed back over here. I sat outside and waited until someone emerged. I wanted to see who her mystery man was.”

Her eyes levelled at him and he rubbed his hand over his face as he looked down at the floor, not wanting to see her expression. 

“Imagine my surprise when I saw you come out of there. Did you have sex with her, Daryl?”

After a few moments of awkward, heavy silence, she lightly punched his arm. “Daryl? Answer me.” 

He nibbled on his thumb as he fought to raise his gaze to her, feeling like he’d been caught doing something shameful and embarrassing. 

He nodded. “But there aint nothin’ goin’ on.” He said

He heard her let out a small laugh. “Then why did Beth tell me she saw you two holding hands last night?”

Anxiety crawled under his skin, he hated being backed into a corner like this and made to talk about something he wasn’t comfortable with, especially when he’d been caught with his hand in the proverbial sweet jar. 

“It-it wasn’t what ya thinkin. It aint like that. Last night, I think it was just a mistake. I dunno.”

“And what about what I heard? That didn’t sound like either of you thought you were making a mistake at the time” She pressed. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m only asking because I care, Daryl.”

“I know” He sighed before going quiet again. But Carol knew this look. This look meant the cogs were turning and he would resume speaking eventually, so she remained quiet and let him process things. 

“It weren’t no mistake for me.” He finally said. “I don’t regret it. Think she does.” 

“You like her, don’t you? You have feelings for her?” She asked directly.

“Guess so. I dunno. Aint never had to think about this kinda thing before”

“Be careful, Daryl. I like her, you know I do. But I don’t know her like I know you.”

He nodded awkwardly, hauling his crossbow further up his arm. Carol leaned in and hugged him. 

“You should talk to her. Tell her how you feel. But if she hurts you, I’’ll kick her ass” She said. Daryl laughed. 

“Stop it” He smirked. “I gotta go. Gotta try and catch her before she heads out.”

 

Lena had asked Rick if she could borrow a truck for her trip and he was more than happy to oblige with the knowledge that she was going out there because she was searching for things for Judith. She pulled the battered silver Ford up to the Gate and leaned out of the window. 

“Thanks for the wheels. Is there anything you want me to look for, I mean for yourself? Or Carl?” She asked, squinting in the suns bright rays. 

“Math books?” Rick suggested. 

Lena screwed her face up. “Math books?! C’mon Rick, give the kid a break. Besides, he’s starting to like me. I’m not doing anything to ruin that” She laughed.

Rick smiled at her and placed a hand on the gates ropes. “No, thank you. I appreciate what you’re doing for Judith…and for everyone else.”

She gave him a polite nod and returned his smile. 

“Hold up!” Daryl’s voice from behind the truck coupled with his boots slamming against the dusty ground as he ran up to the vehicle. He pulled open the passenger seat door and jumped in, throwing a bag into the back seat along with his crossbow. 

“Sorry I’m late.” He said to Lena, who sat completely still, giving him a blank look.

“Rick, get the gate man.” He yelled across her. Rick gave him a quick salute before using all his weight to pull down on the ropes, opening the gate to the outside. Lena dipped the clutch and hit the accelerator, creeping the truck forwards through the gap. 

Seeing the gate shut behind them, she gave it some more gas and before long they were cruising along the main highway. As the hours passed along with the light, Lena decided to stop in the next few minutes for the night and set up camp in the woods. Daryl was propped up partially against the window, enabling himself a clear view of her. He played with a frayed hole on his jeans. 

“Thought you didn’t want to come with me” She said, breaking the heavy silence. 

“Never said that” He replied. 

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, wishing there was an easy way to rid the awkward atmosphere between them. She could feel him staring at her again. She noticed it every time and was now starting to think he knew that she was aware of it and carried on regardless.  
“I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know what got into me” She admitted. 

She glanced over at him. Sure enough, he was staring at her and it felt like he was reading every single thought that was running through her head, as if it were on a moving neon sign. 

“I don’t know shit about women, but you’re the most damn confusin’ one I ever met”

She giggled at the remark, thankful that he’d broken the atmosphere. 

“I’ll let you have that one” She agreed. 

Daryl observed her pretty smile as she spoke, remembering what Carol had said to him about talking to her. He was never the one to initiate most conversations, let alone one like that. Communication had always been short and to the point with Daryl, but he had never had to discuss such a topic before. The thought filled him with dread but he decided that for his own sake, he needed to get some answers. 

“Ya regret it?” He asked “What we did?”

The smile dropped from her face and she turned the truck into the woods. They bumped over the rocky terrain until the truck couldn’t pass any further and she hit the brakes. The truck shuddered to a halt and she slid her hands up to the top of the wheel, leaning forwards and resting her head on the backs of her fingers. Daryl wasn’t expecting a reaction like this. When she raised her head, she looked straight ahead at the woods. 

“Daryl, I should never have touched you in the first place. I used you, and I’m so sorry. I guess I just needed to feel…something. Anything. You are so strong and nice looking and you were just… there and so was I. I thought it’d easily be emotionless for you. But I got you wrong. You’re not like that, you’re considerate and sensitive and you’ll be a wonderful partner for someone that deserves you. So, yes, I regret it.” 

He was studying the side of her face, sure he could see a tear running down her cheek. He wanted to reach out to her, or rather for her to reach out to him so he didn’t have to make any first moves. He was shocked at her observation of him, it couldn’t have been more far removed than what he thought of himself and he wondered how she had come to that conclusion. 

“Worse things to be used for, worse people to be used by” He said, pleased when he saw her look at him and give him a small smile, but saddened to see that she was in fact, crying.

“C’mon. Don’t do that. It’s alright.” He soothed, sitting up and leaning closer to her. 

“The truth is, I’d been on my own for so long and killed so many people, not just the monsters that killed my friends. All the death… I was just so lonely. I didn’t want to be alone anymore, that’s why I scoped out the prison and the group. I need to be around other people, but I can’t form relationships, I can’t get close to anyone. I won’t allow it.” 

“Why?”

“Because when people get close to me, they die.”

Daryl knew how that felt, although he wasn’t sure if his brother was still alive, he knew the chances of seeing him again were slim to none.  
“We’re still here. We aint ashes.” He said.

Lena didn’t respond, instead she gave him a sad smile and climbed down out of the truck. 

 

They dug a small crater in the earth and lit a fire, setting up a seating area on two blankets in front of the truck as the light dwindled around them. Daryl had set up a wire around their camp that would rattle and alert them of any Walkers stumbling in their direction. Lena sharpened her blades, having brought her sharpening stone and small bottle of oil with her. She had completed her bone swords and was working her way through the hidden blades up her sleeves when Daryl plonked down next to her and watched her work, placing his crossbow on the flatbed of the truck. He lit a cigarette and took a deep breath, attempting to channel Carol and the push she’d given him.

“I don’t regret it.” He said, hearing her freeze next to him. Her hands grinding to a halt mid-task. 

“Really? We’re back to this again?” She huffed. 

Daryl decided not to say anymore, sensing her irritation about the topic being brought up again. She carried on working, the scraping of the metal on stone ringing out around them. As time passed, Lena wished they could just put things behind them and start over. Never speak of what happened again, and certainly not dissecting it like it would change anything. But something in her was curious as to why this normally stoic, withdrawn and quiet person so wanted to know what she was thinking.

“You don’t regret it?” She eventually asked, sliding the blade she was working on under her sleeve and back into the holster strapped to her left forearm. 

“Nope” He said, sounding more confident than he felt but using it to his advantage. “Was…good. Real good.” He shrugged one of his shoulders up as he spoke.

Lena scoffed as she placed the sharpening stone back into her bag and placed her hands on the top, falling silent and becoming consumed with her own thoughts. Minutes passed, Daryl smoked and Lena twirled the zipper on her bag around and around in her fingers as she gazed absent mindedly at nothing in particular. She noticed him begin to shift about in his spot, as if he couldn’t get comfortable or settle. 

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, desperately trying to think of a way around this problem. A problem that meant she was going to end up disappointing him, hurting him or even worse, getting him killed. 

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Daryl.” she whispered. She stood and slowly began wandering around the fire, kicking at the dirt with her boot and swinging her arms back and forth. 

Daryl also got to his feet, flicked his cigarette into the woods and chewed his thumb while he watched her wander back and forth. The fire and moonlight lit her face, emphasizing her large green eyes and prominent features. Her coat was open at the front, his eyes wandered down to her perfect chest and flat, toned stomach behind her bulky utility belt. Surprised to see her approaching him, he blinked rapidly and took a small step back. She stopped right in front of him, raising her hand and brushing his hair from his eyes. He flinched slightly, his breath becoming shallower. 

“You like me, don’t you?” She breathed, moving closer still. 

He nodded bashfully, the tops of his ears burning a bright pink. She brushed her hand along the side of his face, her thumb running over his stubbly jawline.

“After everything I’ve done to you. Why?”

His eyes darted everywhere but her face and he shrugged. “I dunno. Just…do.” He said.

_CLICK_

The sound of the slide on a shotgun caused her to freeze. She stood completely still as Daryl’s eyes darted around the clearing. He’d heard it too. Lena slowly moved her coat to one side and slid her hand behind her back, wrapping her fingers around the pistol in her belt. Her eyes fell momentarily to the ground but it was enough for someone to step out of the trees and push a shotgun into the back of Daryl’s head. Her heart began to race and fear prickled at her senses as she looked into the eyes of the threat. His ragged, worn face was partly covered by a long, gray beard and he wore a tattered baseball cap. He was at least a foot taller than Daryl. 

“Don’t move” She whispered to Daryl. 

“Yeah, don’t move” growled another voice, this time from behind Lena. She felt the cold metal of a revolver barrel at her temple and the hairy arm of another male wrap around her neck and pull her backwards. Her boots scraped across the muddy ground and she saw Daryl lunge after her, only to be stopped by the large man behind him clamping a hand over his shoulder. 

“Easy, lover boy” The man quipped, his low, rumbling voice taking Lena by surprise. His voice was almost as big as he was. 

The arm around her neck slipped away as more men with guns stepped into the clearing. Her survival instincts kicking in, Lena did a quick head count. Bigfoot with Daryl, One. The Yeti behind her, Two. Three more on the left, Three more on the right. All different shapes and sizes but none of them looked weak. 

Daryl noticed more than one customized hunting rifle amidst all the firearms he could now see. He looked up at Lena who was glancing from man to man, no doubt weighing up her chances. He swallowed hard and the man behind him shoved him forwards and onto his knees. 

Lena jolted and her skin crawled at the sensation of the yeti feeling her arms, legs and waist for weapons. 

“You’re packin’ some serious heat for a lady, we got us a badass over here, boys!” He said as he stepped in front of her. His face was weathered, white stubble peppered his chin and Long, grey, wavy hair fell about his shoulders. He was wearing a leather vest like Daryl’s with a stained white, short sleeved T-shirt underneath. He leaned into her, close enough for Lena to smell the whiskey and cigarettes on him. 

“You’re a pretty lil’ thing, aint cha? I think we’ll be strippin’ them there weapons from ya, just in case ya get a little feisty, huh?” He breathed in her face. 

“She moves, you shoot her” He called over his shoulder. 

The two closest men to her turned in her direction and aimed their guns as the Yeti went about removing her guns and blades. Lena counted in her head again; one large knife on her belt. Three guns, two more knives strapped to her thighs, her bone swords. The man moved away and she breathed a sigh of relief, he had not noticed the two, smaller blades attached to her forearms and the knife in her boot. He dumped her weapons on the ground before standing in between her and Daryl. One of the men from the left had now moved to stand next to her, a rotund man with a baby face and a huge hunting rifle. Lena noticed how his hands trembled. 

“Now” Yeti addressed Daryl. “We’re going to take ya weapons, ya supplies, ya truck and you’re going to stay there and behave yaself, you understand? I’d prefer not to have to dig bullets out of ya before cookin’ ya. Wastes time when I’ve got some hungry mouths to feed. As for your fine ass girl, she’s a bonus prize!”

“She aint my girl” Daryl spat. 

“I’m not his girl. I don’t even like him.” Lena said from across the fire.

“Oh, really?!” Exclaimed Yeti “Then ya won’t mind if we take her for a little spin then, will ya?” 

Daryl’s heart lurched. 

_No, no!_

“Keep him still” Yeti ordered Bigfoot, who nodded to another man to tie Daryl’s hands behind his back.

Yeti approached Lena and dragged a calloused, trembling finger down her cheek. She drew in a breath through her nose and wrinkled her face in disgust, turning her head as far away from him as she could but finding she could still see his rotten, browned teeth as he leered at her. His hand travelled further down, over her neck and chest. Her stomach churned and bile bubbled inside as he squeezed her breast roughly. 

“Don’t you touch her! Take ya fuckin’ hands off of her!” She heard Daryl yell, followed by a dull thud as Bigfoot landed a rough punch to the back of his head. 

“I gotta get me some o’ this sweet little, hippy ass” Yeti sneered. 

He took hold of Lena’s arm and she felt herself being hurled across the clearing, seeing Daryl being forced onto the flatbed of the truck. Bigfoot had pushed him to the back and Lena was heading in their direction, her arm almost being pulled out of it’s socket by Yeti. He flung her against the back of the Ford, his big hand gripping the back of her neck like a vice and forcing her to bend forwards. The front of her body was now being pinned to the truck not just by Yeti, but by two others that were holding an arm each. Her heart beat so furiously that she was sure it was hammering against the cold metal of the flatbed. She managed to look up at Daryl, who had blood running down the side of his head. He was looking at her with a frantic, panicked expression in his tear-filled eyes. Bigfoot was stood over him, the shotgun now pushed to the side of his head. 

“I’ll fucking kill ya. All -a- y'all” Daryl promised as Yeti scrabbled with Lena’s utility belt and shoved her coat up onto her back, handing his gun to the man to his left. He was now sucking in breaths between his teeth, emitting a perverted ‘ssss’.

“Please, no. Don’t do this. Daryl, close your eyes…close your eyes.” Lena struggled. 

Yeti lifted his vision to Daryl. A crazed, sinister smile spread across his face and he flashed his rancid, brown teeth at him.

“Hmm…not your girl but ya cryin’ over her. Someone got a little crush, huh? Maybe ya already tapped that ass. Tell me, does she buck like a bull in a ring?” His laugh was as harsh as his words as he cackled loudly in front of his foot soldiers. Daryl thought the sound reminded him of his father’s laugh, the result of years of smoking cheap cigarettes and living on pig’s feet and whiskey.

“Ahh, It don’t matter son, she’s mine now. First im’ma fuck her. Then im’ma eat her.” 

The thought of being violated by this monster was enough, but the thought of him eating her was something else entirely. Her passionate hatred for Cannibals bubbled up and boiled over and she let out a strangled scream that cut through Daryl’s soul and filled his eyes with tears all over again. 

“Hold her still, dammit” Yeti snapped as he reached around to unbutton her pants, shoving his leg in-between hers. She felt the fastening loosen followed by rough tugging on the waistline. 

“WAIT!” She yelled loud enough to cause everyone to fall silent. The hand at her front froze. 

“J-Just let me ask you something first. P-please” She stuttered between labored breaths, tears sticking her hair to her face. She moved her head around to Daryl, who had refused to comply with her demand to close his eyes.

He saw her wink at him from behind her hair. 

“What, ya wanna know if I’m clean or somethin’, green eyes?” Yeti jeered. “Sure, ya can ask me whatever ya want, just whisper it in this ear right here” He leaned over her, pressing his body to hers and lowering his face above her lips. 

Daryl held his breath.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Graphic depictions of Violence**Strong Language**Implied Sexual Assualt**
> 
>  
> 
> _Neither earth nor ocean produces a creature as savage and monstrous as woman - Euripides_

The clearing fell into a deathly silence and Daryl could hear nothing but his heart pounding in his head. He gawped down at Lena, her entire body restrained by the three men around her. 

Lena’s stomach heaved at the musty, putrid scent of Yeti’s breath above her face. 

“I…I just…I-want to know…” She squeaked, sniffing back tears and trying to suck in a breath.

Yeti grinned and prodded her in her side, making her jolt at his touch. 

“One sec, sugar tits" He quipped, lifting his head to address Bigfoot. "Hey, you hold his damn head so he sees what I’m ‘bout to do to to his lil’ crush”.

Daryl’s hair was grabbed from behind and his head forced back, his vision lifted, forcing him to look at Lena being trapped under the weight of the three men. The scene before him blurred as tears filled his eyes and he hoped it would stay that way, saving him from having to witness such a barbaric act against someone he was beginning to care a lot about. 

“Now, spit it out girl, we got business to attend to” He growled, lowering his ear even closer to her mouth. 

When the words left her lips, they were different. Her voice was lower, determined, strong, angry and controlled. 

“Which one of you pencil dicked fuckers wants to dance first?” 

Yeti’s brow furrowed. “Huh?”

She jolted her head up so fast, the harsh crack of her skull against his echoed off the trees. He stumbled backwards, before dropping to the ground, holding the side of his head. Shock flashed through Daryl and he jumped with the sudden movement from her.

The man on her right arm loosened his grip and she was on him in seconds, flicking her elbow back and ramming it into his nose. Now this arm was free, she flipped over, taking the man on her left arm by the back of the head and cracking his face onto the back of the truck. 

Bigfoot jumped forwards and fired off a shot in her direction, missing her by inches as she ducked below the vehicle in a split second. Shouts and the thudding of boots whirled around in her mind as she took a deep breath, using her fear as her ammunition and stood up. She drew a blade from her sleeve and flung it over the back of the truck and into the eye of Bigfoot. He fell backwards onto Daryl who was desperately trying to break free of the rope that tied his hands as Lena reached over the flatbed and took hold of his crossbow. 

She dived up onto the truck laying on her stomach, using the side of the truck as a shield as the remaining men in the clearing began shooting at her. She waited for her moment before sitting up and firing a bolt into the throat of the nearest man. Baby face. The second Blade in her other sleeve was quickly removed and used to dispatch another man using a tree to shield himself, Lena had caught him in the forehead as he peeked out from around the bark, trying to locate her. She pulled the knife from her boot and reached up to Daryl. 

“Your hands. Turn around” She said. He wriggled around in the spot, keeping his head below the side of the truck and Lena carved through the rope, freeing his hands. Daryl grabbed Bigfoots shot gun and blew two other’s heads clean off, looking down at the weapon afterwards and giving it a nod of approval. A hazy mist of red fizzled in the air before dispersing and settling on the mud.

“Cover me” Lena hissed as she re-loaded the cross bow and shuffled down the truck to the end. She jumped off, hitting one of the two men left in the thigh as Daryl patiently waited for the last remaining, armed man to poke his head out from behind a tree. Lena stopped briefly to violently rip the bolt from his thigh before she raced towards her pile of weapons. 

A shot rang out as Daryl picked off the last uninjured man and decided against shooting the one with the hole in his thigh, knowing that a main artery had been severed and he would be dead within minutes anyway. Lena grabbed her bone swords and headed back to the truck where Yeti and the two men that were holding her arms, lay unconscious. 

She kicked the first one over so he was facing the sky and plunged one of her blades into his chest before moving to the next and lifting his head up by his hair. This one was dead. She had killed him when his face met the metal of the truck fueled by her rage and vicious intent. The only one left alive, was Yeti. She moved with determination, plotting her cold-blooded plan in her head.

Daryl jumped down from the truck to see Lena dragging Yeti to the middle of the clearing with one arm, next to the fire. Her swords were clutched in her other hand. He was awake but barely, the powerful head-butt she had subjected him to had seriously dazed him, while it had only given her a consistent, sharp pain on the left side of her cranium. She thanked her lucky stars that she had been so well trained in martial arts.

“C’mon, hillbilly prick! You thought I was the damsel in distress huh?! Believed all the tears and the pleading? Well it was all bullshit, you DUMB FUCK!” She screamed as she hauled him further towards the fire. Daryl slowly followed her. 

“You wanna know something else?! DO YOU?!” She yelled at him, deliberately throwing him to the floor and kicking him in the stomach with all her might. He immediately folded into the foetal position, clutching his abdomen. She crouched beside him, grabbing his chin and hauling his face up so it was close to hers.  
“I’ve killed more of your kind than your infected, prion laden brain could ever comprehend. You come over here with your goons, flashing your shit-eating grin and grabbing at me with your shaking hands, declaring that you’re going to take everything, even my dignity. Well I’ve got news for you, only thing you’re going to be taking is your last fucking breath through a hole in your throat.”

“Lena” Daryl tried from behind her, but she just turned to him and shot him the most emotionless and enraged look he had ever seen in a person. His skin prickled and a shiver ran down his spine.

“No.” She spat. “He has to pay” 

She moved behind him and pulled him up by his shoulders, resting his back against her shins and roughly yanking his face up to enable him to see her. His eyes were open and he was groaning in pain. Pain that she wanted to see etched into his features, pain that she wanted him to feel. 

Daryl took a step towards her and she flicked a sword out in his direction, holding it at his throat. Her eyes stony and dark. 

“Back off” She spat.

“Woah, Lena, what the fuck?!” He said, holding his hands up to her. 

“Back up. Now.” She ordered, thrusting the steadily held blade at him. “You stay out of this. He’s mine”

Daryl responded with a quick nod as he backed away even further.

She lowered the sword, before slamming it through the back of Yeti’s hand, pinning him to the floor. His shout cut through the trees and bounced around the clearing as he wailed at the searing pain in his limb. But Lena just peered down at him, her eyes wide with rage and her demeanor steady, calculating and controlled. Her head tiled to one side as she spoke. 

“Aww, does it hurt?! Here, let me even it out for you” She sneered, kicking his other hand out and slamming the other sword through it, the metal vibrated as it slid through the bones, making a metallic ring that was drowned out by Lena grunting loudly as she forced the blade in as far as she could. He was writhing in front of her, his back still slumped against her legs. 

She bent forwards, pulling his head back by his hair, making sure he was looking up and into her eyes. 

“If I were going to have a sandwich, I’d really prefer that no one had fucked it first.” She hissed. 

Daryl winced at the sight as he watched her wrap her hands around both of the sword handles and lift them up swiftly, moving them forwards in the air and plummeting them through his fleshy thighs. The screams were almost unbearable to Daryl’s ears. Never normally one to shy away from violent scenes, this was something he had never had to witness, the savage yet justified torture of another human being by someone who he thought looked like and angel yet fought like a demon. 

She twisted the blades in his legs and Daryl heard the sickeningly loud crack from both of them. A long, strangled growl escaping from Lena’s throat as she yanked them out again. Blood rapidly filled the man’s lap like two small volcano’s erupting. 

Lena was only partially satisfied. She felt like she was back at the Cannibal compound after finding out her friends had been killed. Stealthily working her way around the buildings and slaughtering everyone in her path. People had screamed, cried, begged her for Mercy. But her need for revenge was too strong and it was still as present as it was that day.

She positioned her blades at his throat in a crisscross, closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. Daryl watched through squinted eyes at the seemingly easy act of murder as Lena drew the swords across his skin, sliding into his flesh like butter and spilling an explosion of bright red down his front and across the floor. The sound was sickening, wet and garbled as he choked on his own blood. Daryl swallowed hard and lifted his eyes to Lena, who was stood over the grey-haired man, her lip curled up in disgust but a certain delight in her eyes at watching him die. 

He attempted to walk towards her again, this time with great trepidation. Her head snapped to the side when she saw him move.

“Lena, c’mon, let’s get outta here. Be Walkers attracted by all the gunfire” He said quietly.

“I’m not done. He’s still alive.” She said, blankly. “I need to see him die.”

Daryl made sure his crossbow was loaded and glanced around the clearing. He set off collecting all the weapons and ammo he could find and loading it into the truck while Lena finished her gruesome and cold task of watching the man die. 

She listened as the last breath left his body. She shoved it to one side and it crumpled into the widening pool of dark red blood. Daryl now waited for her from the truck, seeing something shift in her all of a sudden. She let her blood-soaked swords clatter to the ground and dropped to her knees, letting out a loud whimper as tears began to fall down her cheeks and onto the dust. Her shoulders jerked and her chest convulsed as she sobbed loudly, her hands balled up into fists. 

Daryl ran to her, skidding on the dirt only to find her pushing him away when he touched her shoulder. 

“No!” She rasped 

“Lena, it’s alright” He cooed, trying to take her arm but she hit out at him again. 

“I don’t….I can’t…” She tried between big gulps of air.

“It’s alright” He repeated, this time able to take her hand in his. “C’mon. Come here”

“No” She said again, shaking her head like a small child “No, no, no”. Daryl could see that what she was saying wasn’t necessarily what she meant as she was now gripping his hand like it was in a vice. He pulled her to him, catching her as she fell from her knees and enveloping her in his arms. He held her head to his chest, a hand cradling her jaw. Her arms folded in to wrap around her own stomach and she found her legs had gone weak as she tried to push herself further into the embrace. Daryl was holding her so tight he was afraid he might squeeze the air from her lungs, but she just clambered up him further, no matter how close she was to him, it wasn’t close enough. Her whole body was shaking violently.

Her sobs began to subside after a couple of minutes and Daryl’s head snapped up when he heard a guttural growl from the trees. He lowered his head, resting his chin on her hair as he whispered to her.

“Lena, we gotta get outta here. C’mon”

She felt him tap her arm lightly and she lifted her head and blinked at him. 

“Are you OK?” She asked him. 

He was astounded by the question. After everything that had just happened, he thought it should be him asking her if she was OK first.

“Yeah” He replied, taken aback even more by her bringing a hand up and feeling the side of his face. He found himself closing his eyes for a few seconds before snapping out of his daydream by a Walker lurching at them from the trees. He gabbed Lena and shoved her behind him, picking up the body of the dead man and hurling it into the tree line in order to create a distraction so they had time to make their escape. He turned, picked up her swords and handed them to her. 

“Let’s go” He said. 

 

Lena opened her eyes slowly to revel a white painted ceiling. Blinking away sleep, it occurred to her that she had no idea where she was and her veins spiked with panic. She shot upright and immediately caught sight of Daryl sitting in a chair beside her, holding a gel ice pack to his head. 

“Woah, easy” He said “Ya safe”

She swallowed hard and breathed a sigh of relief. Her swords lay on a table in the middle of the clean, well decorated room lit by two flashlights Daryl had positioned to shine up the walls and across the ceiling, illuminating the room. Posters of smiling couples adorned the walls along with leaflets on a side table about sexually transmitted diseases.

“Where the hell are we?” She asked groggily. 

“Family Plannin Clinic” He replied with a small smirk. 

Lena caught his eye and noticed his mouth turned up at the corner, stifling a smile. She released a small laugh. 

“You are kidding me.” She shook her head at the amusing choice of safe haven. 

“Ya fell asleep in the truck. I carried ya in here. We’ll hole up here for the night, in the mornin’ there’s an apartment block across the street we should check out. Figured they’d have some medical stuff we could use in here. Turns out they do.” He said, holding up the gel pack. 

Lena’s lips pressed into a thin line as she stood up and looked at the swollen lump on the side of his head. She inhaled through her teeth. It looked sore. 

“Asshole hit you so hard he broke the skin. Must have ran down your face when you put your head down. How is it?” She said

He grunted and shifted in his seat. “Had worse, I’ll live.”

She scoffed. “Pretty impressive you were still conscious after a blow like that”

“What ‘bout you?” he asked, ignoring her compliment.

“I’m not injured” She said quickly. 

“S’not what I meant” He mumbled, looking up at her. Her big, green eyes somehow darker, troubled.

“I’ll live” She mumbled, copying his earlier response, sitting back down and pushing her coat off. Her shoulders were red and grazed from being slammed into the flatbed of the vehicle. Daryl felt a strong sting of guilt when he noticed it. 

“I’m sorry” He whispered. 

Lena looked up at him, her mouth falling open. “Why would you apologize?” She asked. 

He moved in his seat, turning the cold pack over and over in his hands. He was leaning forwards, then sitting back before releasing a loud sigh.

“He was gonna…” He started, his gaze everywhere but on her. “He woulda…”

Lena lowered her head and placed her hands in her lap as Daryl struggled to express his thoughts, carefully avoiding the trigger words but unable to say what he wanted without them. She wanted to stop him from talking, hearing in his voice how difficult it was for him, but he continued anyway. 

“…He was gonna make me watch. Maybe If I…I coulda done somethin’. I’m sorry”

Lena closed her eyes with her head still lowered in an attempt to stop the tears that were threatening to escape. She sniffed loudly and folded her fingers on both hands into fists, her fingernails digging into the skin. Pain radiated from her palms as her hands began to shake with the pressure but she needed the pain, needed it to distract her from the anguish in her heart. It had all been too familiar, a repeat of a situation she was only just beginning to process. 

She shot up from her seat and flung her arms around Daryl’s shoulders, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He jumped at the sudden contact and sat rigidly in her arms, slowly and hesitantly lifting a hand up to clasp the back of her left arm. 

“Don’t you ever apologize to me about that again” she said, her voice muffled. 

She was squeezing him so tight he wondered if she would ever let go. When she eventually released him and stepped back, he noticed her wipe her cheek with the back of her hand.

“It wasn’t your fault. You had a shotgun to your head, you couldn’t have done anything.” She sniffed. Still overwhelmed by her random embrace, his shoulders remained stiff and locked in place. 

“I’m the one that’s sorry.” She mumbled. “What you had to watch me do. I’m sorry you had to see that. I’m- I’m just so angry, so broken down. All this death, the people eating people if they’re dead or alive, the rape…there’s so much of it. It all…it turns me into a beast. I’m a beast and you shouldn’t have had to see what you did. I’m sorry.” 

“Naw” He said, finally snapping out of his tense state and lifting a foot to rest it on the waiting room couch Lena had been sleeping on. He leaned an elbow on it and ran his hand through his hair, startling at the pain from his wound. 

“Ya aint gotta be sorry. I get it. I wanted to kill him too after what he did to ya. S’alright”

She gave him a small smile, blinking tears away and feeling a sense of relief when he half smiled back at her. 

“Gotta admit” He continued “Was like a movie or some shit. Especially the ‘Which one of you fuckers wants to dance’ part” His half smile evolved into a full-on grin.  
Lena tried not to laugh along with him but failed, the tune of a small giggle from her telling Daryl that she wasn’t going to be touchy about his observation. 

“I’m serious, I aint never seen nobody fight like you…ya amazin’. Remind me not to piss ya off anymore” He jested. 

She was surprised when she felt herself blush slightly at the compliment. She turned her head away slightly, hoping her cheeks hadn’t flushed pink in a signal to Daryl that she was flattered by him seeing her that way. Because she wasn’t. Or was she?

“Thanks” She said quietly slowly starting to walk around the waiting room, looking at the posters and picking up flyers, tossing them over her shoulder once she’d scanned them. 

‘Wish we’d found this place before the Animal Hosiptal run” She admitted. 

Why’s that?” He asked. 

She lifted her arm and tapped the small rod under the skin. Daryl noticed the thin line and small, pink scar above it. 

“The hell’s that?” 

“A contraceptive implant. Luckily, it can be used in both animals and humans.” 

His eyes shot down to the floor as he recalled their two intimate trysts, the realization that he hadn’t even thought of contraception at the time creeping into his mind like a shadow. 

“Relax. I got us covered.” She said.

“Ya really did plan it all, huh?” He mused, feeling a slight pang of disappointment. He would have preferred that it had happened spontaneously and without any plotting or anyone using each other. But that stuff was for couples in romance films, not people fighting to stay alive in an apocalypse. 

“I asked Hershel to put this thing in my arm for one reason, although I suspect he thought I was planning on working my way around the prison. Anyway, I was afraid of the physical repercussions of coming across a monster like that asshole today. If I were ever subjected to what my friends had to endure, I wanted to make sure I had at least some control. The only thing I ever planned was completely in the moment in that control room, when I decided my loneliness would be quelled and my needs were much better satisfied by a man that looks like you…”

She trailed off and caught his eye, he was staring at her through the front of his hair, his face still encrusted with dried blood. She carried on wandering and broke their eye contact. 

“…and yeah, OK, maybe I planned the second time. Make a girl’s legs shake like that and she’s coming back for more.” She shrugged noncommittally and bit her lip, waiting a few moments before she looked back at him. 

He was glaring at her, his eyebrow raised. 

“What?” She laughed. 

“Nothin’” he replied, shaking his head and smiling broadly. “It’s just…”

He glanced at the floor briefly before looking up at her again, she was standing in a corner, lit only by a thin veil of light from the nearest flashlight yet her eyes were shining bright green and her pale skin shimmered. She was like a beacon to him, one he couldn’t stay away from and with every smile she offered him, he felt himself being drawn even closer to her glow.

“…Ya aint the only one who’s legs were shakin’.” He said bashfully, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and biting down on it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks for any feedback and comments. <3

Lena had scoured every room of the clinic, packing anything useful she could find into her bag. She was in the middle of rummaging through drawers and cupboards in a treatment room when Daryl appeared in the doorway and leaned his weight on the frame, a flashlight poised in his hand and his crossbow slung over his shoulder. Lena quickly stole a glance at him before resuming her task. She finished with a set of drawers set into the workspace at the side and pulled open a large, metal cabinet next. Stopping in her tracks and raising both eyebrows at the sight inside. 

“Damn” She said. 

Daryl moved from the doorway to stand next to her and immediately copied her expression as he raised his flashlight and shone the light inside. 

“Would ya look at that…all the colors of the rainbow.” Lena gasped.

In the cupboard, sat row upon row of condoms. Hundreds of different boxes brandishing a variety of brand names. 

“I thought these places just did the one type” Daryl admitted, turning to look at Lena, who by now was plucking all sorts of multicolored packs from the boxes and squinting at the labels. 

“Shine that light over here, will you?” She asked “Holding a pink wrapper in her hand. She flipped the packet in her fingers and grinned at the words emblazoned on the other side. 

“Strawberry” She grinned “Nice!”

Daryl couldn’t hide his amusement as she pulled out more packets from the boxes and rifled through them like a deck of cards. 

“Bubblegum, Cherry, Mint, Coconut, Cola, Chocolate, Bacon, Licorice…Oh hell no licorice is disgusting. Hey, this ones Vegan!” She giggled, holding it up in his face. 

“Wait, did ya say Bacon?!” He exclaimed “What the hell?! Gimme that thing” He leaned over and plucked the packet from her fingers, screwing his face up in disbelief. 

“Not sure about having junk that tastes like bacon. That shit’s just askin’ for trouble”

Lena let out a loud laugh and caught his eye, his mouth curled up into a smile. 

“Shall we take some?” She asked, a mischievous look on her face. 

“What for?” He replied, shoving the bacon flavored condom into a random box.

“Never know, you might get lucky” She nudged him in the side and winked at him only to be met with an accusatory and surprised look. 

“Not me, jackass!” She rolled her eyes. “Ok, so say Rick lets some more other survivors in one day and there’s a pretty girl among them, nice looking guy like you stands a good chance of doing the dance with no pants. Again, I mean.” She giggled, winking at him a second time. 

Daryl furrowed his brow, his cheeks flushing slightly pink as he looked down, grateful for the darkness around them. Although he sometimes felt like she gave off extremely mixed signals, in this moment, he was almost sure of two things; That we wouldn’t be interested in anyone else now and that was sad, because Lena was highly unlikely to like him the way he liked her. 

“Wouldn’t be interested anyways” He mumbled. “C’mon” He pushed past her, taking the flashlight with him. She shrugged, grabbed a strawberry condom and slid it into her pocket before grabbing her bag and leaving the room. 

 

She watched him as he slept, his chest rising and falling steadily and his big arms sprawled above his head as he lay on the couch in the waiting room. She had agreed to take first watch and all had remained as quiet as it had been all night. The room was only slightly lit by the flashlights, but it was enough light for Lena to give in to the temptation to admire him without getting caught. To indulge herself for a few moments in what she knew was something she could never really do again while he was awake. He was definitely rough around the edges yet had a softness to him that she had been lucky enough to see for herself. He cared about people, he was selfless and took the weight of the world upon his shoulders as though he were responsible for everyone around him. Lena could tell he was a good man, fiercely loyal and completely starved of any affection or a loving touch from anyone. She had been grateful for him being there for her after their horrific encounter earlier on in the night, grateful for his supportive embrace and for him bringing her to safety.

He stirred in his sleep, rolling his head to the opposite side. Lena could now see beads of sweat had formed on his head and his breathing had increased. When his whole body twitched, she drew in a sharp breath and watched him more intently. He grunted and twitched again, then again, each time with more gusto before his head was soon thrashing back and forth and he was mumbling loudly, the only word Lena could make out being ‘No’ repeated every few seconds. She had read somewhere that being cautious while waking someone from a nightmare was wise. As she leaned towards him, his arms began to hit out. She took hold of them gently and lowered herself next to him. 

“Daryl, it’s OK. It’s a bad Dream” She purred in his ear. He settled for a moment before jolting again and throwing a punch in her direction. Her hand shot out and she grabbed his fist, her fingers wrapping around his and her palm stinging from the pain of the impact that had caused a loud smacking sound to ring out around the room. She thanked her quick, cat like reflexes and training or she would surely have had to sport an impressive black eye. Daryl yelled out as his eyes opened to see her holding his fist inches from her face. He immediately sat up and recoiled further back onto the couch, drawing his legs up and snatching his hand from hers. His chest was rising and falling rapidly and sweat rolled down his temples under his hair. 

“It’s OK.” Lena whispered “It was just a dream” she attempted to place her hand over his forearm but he pulled it away, hiding both of his arms in his lap and trying to catch his breath. Lena remained where she was, not about to leave him after such a display of discomfort. 

“You get nightmares a lot?” She asked. His eyes flickered to hers for a second before rapidly settling back on whatever he was staring at in his lap. 

“Sometimes” He grumbled.

“Me too” She confessed. “Not all the time, but when I do they’re pretty terrifying. It’s kind of amazing what our minds are capable of”

Silence fell as he gradually looked up and studied her face, she was kneeled at the side of the couch, her hair cascading over her slightly freckled shoulders and the Alice band she usually wore wrapped around her wrist. She was equipped with only the blade in her boot as far as he could tell and while he sat there and looked at her he could think of nothing else than the shame of having hurt her somehow during one of his nightmares. 

“I hurt ya?” He asked sheepishly. She shook her head straight away. 

“No, not at all.”

“I tried to hit ya” He argued. 

“No Daryl, you tried to hit whatever your mind saw in your dream. Luckily my reflexes are pretty sharp so I managed to catch your fist before it connected with my face” She smiled. “You want to talk about it? Your drea-?” 

“No” he replied, interrupting her and shuffling off the end of the couch at the same time as she stood up straight, realizing how uncomfortably close he was now standing to her she slowly looked sideways at him.

Something was rooting him to the spot, he was so close to her he could feel her breast subtly brushing his arm as she breathed. He slowly raised his vision up to her face to find she was looking right back at him with a strange mixture of confusion, unease and…what was it? Yes, that was it…it was want. 

Lena’s body was not cooperating, it refused to move no matter how loud her mind screamed. Her heart had seemingly taken over and noticed that Daryl was still not making any efforts to break this invisible chain that held them together. Lena had never been great at ignoring her impulses. It had got her into all kinds of trouble in her life. If Daryl had made one correct observation about her, it was that she was used to getting what she wanted, only at times like this, it wasn’t clear what that was. 

She felt the back of his fingers feather across hers at her side and saw him flinch slightly but he still didn’t move away. Her index finger fanned out, connecting with his skin, curling around his hand and into his palm. Her eyes were locked on his and try as she might, she couldn’t tear them away. She begged Daryl silently in her head to make the right choice and pull away, not to let her make another mistake but his hand reacted to her touch and subtly rotated, his fingers tickling under her palm in a slight, fleeting gesture.

_Yes, I want this and I know you do too._

Daryl tried to steady his nerves. Without the cold, unfeeling desire to satisfy her sexual needs and fill the void of loneliness in her soul, he knew that when faced with the reality of his feelings for her he felt overwhelmed and extremely nervous. He held his breath when he realized she had turned towards him and moved closer, his arm now tingled with the sensation of being pressed against her chest.

Lena’s fingers still grazed against Daryl’s, neither of them finding enough courage to fully take the other’s hand. On her other hand, she hadn’t noticed the frantic, persistent tapping of her index and middle fingers against her thigh, a nervous twitch she had been unable to control since she was a child. Unable to break their eye contact no matter how hard she tried, she had given in to her impulses and allowed herself a to move a few more centimeters towards him, seeing his shoulder stiffen as she did. His breathing was becoming labored and she could tell he was uncomfortable but if she was completely honest with herself, so was she. 

Daryl turned his head in an attempt to get a better view of her face, hoping to be able to read her better, to find some kind of signal of her intentions, or maybe even to help him figure out what his own intentions were. Within seconds of being able to see her better he became distracted by her features, the lip ring he liked so much, the light freckles across her nose, her big eyes and long eyelashes. To him, she was addictive, beautiful and a diamond in the rough. 

She took his hand. Her fingers sliding into his palm and he shuddered at first before building up the bravery to close his hand around hers, gently rubbing his thumb over her soft skin. She exhaled loudly, almost in a sigh and dropped her eyes to their hands which were now entwined between them. She tried to dislike his touch, tried to yank her hand away and run to another room. She wished she could turn back time and be stronger, stick to her rules, her code and the promise she’d made to herself. But his hand enveloped hers and he was stroking her skin and she didn’t want to be anywhere else right now. 

Daryl was sure that when she looked back up at him, she was even closer still. Her eyes were glistening, almost glassy and they searched his for a clue, just one small clue of what to do next, but he found nothing. His hand was growing hot as he clutched onto her. What was he supposed to do now? What was he supposed to say? He chewed on his bottom lip and shifted his weight to his other leg, his eyes darting around the room before stopping on the floor. He froze when he felt her breath tickle his neck, wavy strands of her hair danced across his cheek as she pulled back slightly and put her index finger on her free hand under his chin, encouraging him to lift his head. He obliged and found she was soon lightly brushing her nose against his. Her hand was now threaded into his hair, partially caressing his jaw. 

He wanted to kiss her so badly, wanted to pull her into him and devour her. But he was not about to make the first move. Lena was complicated and Daryl was not well versed in the art of wooing women. 

He heard her breathe out, feeling the light breeze on his lips.

“Why do I want to kiss you so much?” She breathed, the words almost inaudible but he got them, clung to them and treasured them. He tried to speak, tried to give her some kind of response, encouragement, that tiny little push. But no words came out.

The only sounds in the room were the shallow breaths emanating from them both. Lena’s hand moved further towards Daryl’s face. She applied more pressure as she slowly felt along his jawline and up to his mouth, her thumb tracing along his bottom lip.   
Aside from his hand locked over her fingers, he did not touch her. This was a world apart from their lust charged encounters back at the prison, this was something he was scared to ruin, so his other had hung loosely at his side. He wanted to use it to stroke her hair, to thread it around her neck, to trace the outline of her body, feel along her curves and grab her face as she kissed him, making sure she was as close as she could possibly be. But it remained still, controlled and useless. 

Lena’s lips parted as her eyes lifted and she was looking right at him, right into his soul. She could see now just how much he wanted her but also how nervous he was. She stepped back slightly, lowering her head and placing her forehead on his chest. 

“Oh god, I’m sorry Daryl” She whispered. 

“S’alright” He said, surprising her by tightening his grip on her hand.

A few moments passed and Lena eventually lifted her head and stepped back. Much to Daryl’s dismay, she let go of his hand. 

“What’s goin’ on, Lena?” He asked. 

She rubbed the back of her hand across one eye and sighed deeply before trying to look at him but feeling nothing but guilt and resulting in her starting to pace the room. 

“I don’t know” She confessed. 

“I thought ya didn’t like me…like that” He pressed, surprising himself with his direct and out of character questions. 

She ran her hands through her hair, lifting her dreads up momentarily as if to provide herself with a small distraction from the awkward and demanding conversation. 

“I don’t know what I feel, Daryl” She started “After today, after what happened, you were there for me. I don’t know why, I don’t know why you keep coming back to me after everything I’ve done to you and after witnessing what I’m capable of. I just don’t get it, why?”

He shrugged. “I dunno. I like being around ya. Ya kinda fascinate me”

“So, you want to kiss me because I fascinate you?” She said. 

“Hell naw, I wanna kiss ya ‘cause you’re fuckin’ beautiful.” He blurted out. 

As the words left his lips he almost wished he could suck them back in again, make her unhear them, so he didn’t have to live with the fact that she now knew what he thought of her. 

Lena’s mouth dropped open. It was the last thing she had expected him to say. She knew he liked her, he had admitted that much back in the woods but this was a huge thing coming from him and she found herself on the verge of speechlessness. 

“I-uh…” She tried “Really?!” She questioned, her brow furrowing as if he’d just told her some inconceivable truth. His ears had gone pink again and he looked all around the room, his hand fiddling with a loose piece of thread on the end of his shirt. 

“Ya always tellin me not to stare at ya, now ya know why I do. Can’t help it.” He said.

“I don’t know what to say.” She responded “You’re crazy, you can’t have feelings for someone like me. I will hurt you, Daryl. I’ll hurt you and eventually you’ll get killed like everyone else does that gets close to me-”

“And what about you?” He interrupted. 

“What about me?”

“What about what you want? Ya can’t just go on alone like that. It’s like back at the prison, ya in a community of people that like ya and wanna be around ya, yet ya still alone. Choosin’ to be alone. Said yaself when ya first arrived that human’s aint wired that way. So, what about you?”

As she listened to him talk, the urge to jump him and kiss him and give into everything was almost unbearable, but she persevered, if anything just to hear him express more opinions like this. She was sure this was possibly the most he’d ever said to her in one go. 

“I-I’m fine” She stammered 

“No ya aint.” He moved closer to her, stopping close enough to see tears begin to well in her eyes. 

“I need to get some sleep” She stated, holding back the floodgates successfully. She sank down onto the couch as Daryl took a chair opposite her, lighting a cigarette. She lay on her side, facing away from him and closed her eyes. 

“For the record” She heard him say “I think ya punishin’ yaself and it’s pointless. I been there and done it, I get it. But ya deserve somethin’ that makes ya happy. Hell, we all do.”

Lena blinked hard and released heavy, salty tears as she listened with her back to him. 

“N’ I like ya for a lot of reasons. Aint gonna find out any of ‘em if ya keep pushin’ me away.”

 

By morning, Lena had eventually stopped crying and fallen asleep. Daryl had watched over her until daylight started to seep through the blinds. He saw her shoulders jolt and her body convulse as she cried for over an hour, refusing to turn over and thinking he hadn’t noticed. He had told himself that he would intervene if she went on much longer, only to find her fast asleep a few minutes later, much to his relief. 

She had got to her feet and suited up, equipping all of her weapons and putting on her coat and bandana. Daryl didn’t say a word to her, in fact he barely looked at her as she went about gathering things to take to the truck. 

Outside in the searing sunshine, they packed the Ford with the supplies they’d found and did a quick sweep of the apartment block across the road. Lena’s low mood was lifted temporarily when she managed to find some formula and baby food in one of the apartments along with a pretty Moses basket and some clothes that looked like they might fit baby Judith, at least for a while until she grew out of them. 

Daryl offered to drive on the way back as Lena gazed out of the window for the first couple of hours. Conversation was non-existent until she finally decided to try and clear the air. 

“Would you have kissed me back?” She asked. 

Daryl did at double take at her, taken a little off guard by the question. 

“Ya know I would have” He said quietly. “I know there’s a reason ya never let me though, even before.”

Her mind flashed back to more than one occasion when he had attempted to find her lips with his as he pushed inside her, filling her with the most incredible feeling, yet she still would not allow him to kiss her. 

“Anyone can just…fuck. It’s a basic human need along with water, food and air. But kissing someone means something. It’s where the passion, the feelings are wildly expressed. It’s a triumph far more intimate than simple, nameless, removed sex.” She explained as she gazed out into the vast fields as they flew past. 

“So, ya don’t feel nothin’.” It was more a statement than a question and Lena treated it as such, mulling it over and over in her mind for a number of minutes. Daryl continued to drive quietly. 

“I don’t know” She mumbled, seeing Daryl look at her from the corner of her eye. Neither of them said anymore and the silent journey resumed. 

 

Across the vast plains of Georgia, Lena suddenly noticed stables on a plot of farmland from the road. 

“Daryl! Stables! Pull over into that farm, I need to check for food for Cleo” She announced. 

Daryl pulled the truck into the entrance of the farm while Lena wound down the window and pulled herself out of it, sitting on the frame and facing the top of the vehicle so she could get a better view of any potential threats. The place appeared to be deserted. She could see the stables from where Daryl parked the truck and she hopped out, with a new-found spring in her step at the thought of grabbing some treats for Cleo. 

Daryl grabbed his crossbow from the back seat and followed Lena, her bone swords drawn and gripped in each hand. Her handles still boasted some bloodstains from the events of the night before. She tapped a sword on the hood of a burned-out car in the yard, the loud tapping seemed to echo on forever but no threats appeared. Lena raced toward the stables, skidding into a small room at the side and vanishing from view. Daryl approached the room to find her struggling to haul a huge bag of horse feed across the floor. 

“Here, hold this” He said, offering her his crossbow. She re-holstered her swords and took the crossbow, giving him a small smile. He heaved the sack up onto his shoulders, his bare arms catching her attention as his toned muscles flexed and tightened.

“Thank you! Meet you in the truck” She called after him before setting off to find anything she could possibly use to make Cleo’s shoes more comfortable. 

Daryl went and sat on the hood of the truck while he waited for Lena to gather what she needed, watching her flit from stable to stable, rummaging in the barn and outhouses before she finally returned holding a bag above her head like a trophy.   
“Success! At least now I can clean and maintain her shoes. I found a rasp, a hoof pick and a brush.”

“I aint got a clue what ya talkin’ ‘bout. Let’s go” He said, jumping in the driver’s seat and starting the engine. 

 

Back at the prison, the gates shut behind them and Daryl killed the ignition at the top of the hill. Lena could see Rick and Hershel heading towards them from across the yard. She quickly turned to Daryl. 

“Can we…spend some time together?” She asked. 

Daryl’s response was an unabashed look of pure confusion that he made no attempt to try to hide. 

“Wha? Just spent two days with ya” He replied. 

“I mean without the threat of being eaten, by the living or the dead.” She said. 

Daryl’s gaze dropped into his lap and he fumbled with the trucks keys. Lena was aware that Rick and Hershel would soon be within listening distance. She willed Daryl to answer her. 

“Alright” He eventually mumbled. 

“Hey, you guys OK?” Rick interrupted as he approached Daryl’s side of the truck. He carefully looked over Daryl and studied his face before turning his attention to Lena. Hershel watched them through the windscreen, briefly smiling as Lena caught his eye. 

“Yeah, fine” Daryl replied. 

“You sure? Look like you’ve been bleeding” Rick said, motioning to Daryl’s head. 

“We met some unsavory types. Nothing we couldn’t handle.” Lena interrupted. Hoping to keep the details to a minimum. “We got Judith more formula and food and I even managed to grab some clothes. C’mon, I’ll show you” She said, clicking the door release and bouncing out of the truck. As she pulled the bags off the flatbed and showed Rick what was inside, she overheard Hershel asking Daryl if he wanted him to take a look at his head. 

“Naw, s’nothin. Thanks though” She heard Daryl say.

She didn’t want everyone to know what had happened in the woods, the thought of them knowing how close she’d been to being violated filled her with dread. Neither did she want them to know what she’d done to them all as a result. She had meant to ask Daryl to keep it to himself, but so far, he seemed to get the message. 

“This…this is great, Lena. Thank you. Why don’t you come in and see Judith? You’ve done so much for her.” Rick suggested. 

Lena looked up at Hershel who nodded at her in a ‘say yes’ gesture. 

“Um…I’m not so great with babies” She admitted. Her whole life, she hadn’t encountered many of them and didn’t have much of an interest in children in general. She had helped some parents out at the Eco Village by watching their kids for an hour here and there, but she would never have considered herself a natural. 

“She’s pretty good with adults” Hershel quipped. “Mighty fine appetite too. You could help feed her”

Daryl had now hopped out of the truck and was kicking dirt around with his boot as he listened. 

“Maybe later” Lena said “I’m pretty tired, I’m going to head to my block and take a shower.”

“Alright, let me know if you change your mind.” Rick smiled.

Daryl looked up and caught Lena’s eye, a gesture that was not lost on Hershel, who had noticed the way they conversed in the truck through the window. Daryl stepped towards Rick and grabbed one of the other bags before the two men headed off to the cell block. Lena retrieved her horse shoe tools from the front cab. 

“Something you need to get off your chest, my dear?” Hershel asked. 

“Not really” Lena said, giving him a quick wink. “Just these dirty clothes and a half inch of dirt”

 

After changing into some camo pants and an oversized black T-shirt that had obviously been the previous properly of a very large man, Lena pulled on her lace up boots and headed out into the evening light. Cleo had missed her. The black horse’s head shot up from nibbling on the grass when she saw Lena appear and she made fast track over to where her owner stood at the edge of the grass. 

Lena held out her hands as Cleo dutifully stopped in front of her, sniffing her hands with her soft, velvety nose. 

“Hey pretty girl.” Lena whispered. “Have you been good?”

The horse stepped forward and raised its head, sniffling along Lena’s collarbone and up to her face. Lena giggled loudly, ticking at Cleo’s neck. Across the grass, she could see that someone had let Bonnie and Clyde out and tied them to their usual night time fence spots. Carl and Beth no doubt. 

“Hey” Said a female voice from over her shoulder. She whirled around to see Carol on the other side of the fence. 

“Oh Hi Carol” She smiled, leaving Cleo and walking to the gate. Carol walked along the fence and took Lena completely by surprise when she hugged her as she crossed the boundary from her yard to Rick’s. Carols arms pinned lena’s to her sides in an emotionally fraught hug. When she finally let go, Lena stepped back and regarded her with a puzzled look. 

“What was that for?” She enquired. 

Carol looked down at the floor and rubbed her lips with her fingertips before looking back up at Lena. 

“For Daryl.” She whispered. 

“What do you mean?”

“He told me what happened in the woods. What they did…what they almost did to you. He said you killed them all and if you hadn’t you’d both be dead.”

Lena’s eyebrows shot up and she let out an unamused huff. 

“Has he told anybody else?” She said through her teeth. 

“No. Just me.”

“Good” Lena snapped. “Look, It wasn’t all me, he did his fair share. It’s not easy taking one life let alone several. I kinda fell apart afterwards and he was there for me. So, he did his part too.”

“He seems to think that if it wasn’t for you, he’d have been cooking in a pot by now and he is my friend, so thank you. And of course, he was there for you. He cares about you.” Carol said nonchalantly. Lena froze to the spot, her eyes meeting Carols and staying there in case she misread the situation. But she was only met with a simple shrug and a light smile. 

“Come on, come and get something to eat. I’m not being your waitress anymore” She said, turning and walking back to the block. 

Lena sighed and followed along behind her as they approached the cellblock. The yard contained boxes of vegetables that Beth and Maggie were still working through, a couple of footballs and a pile of wood in the corner. Lena squinted in the last light of the day as the sun began to dip below the tree line, casting a light orange glow across the concrete. Daryl was heading up the grassy hill towards them. Carol pushed open the heavy cellblock door and Lena followed her inside. 

 

Sitting on one of the communal area tables, Lena awkwardly clasped her hands together in front of her as Glenn passed her a plastic mug of water. 

“Thanks” She smiled at him as he sat down opposite her. 

“Heard you guys did pretty well out there. Brought back some useful things for the baby.” He said. 

“Yeah, found all the baby stuff in an apartment block. I would say we got lucky but it was Daryl’s idea to check it out” She said at the same time Daryl appeared in the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder at him, giving him a small smile. He passed them and made his way to the cells.   
“I was thinking, if you have plans to go out next time, I’d be up for going with you. There’s a few places I want to hit off the beaten track. Only, when I’ve driven past before, they were full of Walkers.” Glenn said.

“I can help with that, no problem” Lena agreed. “Just let me know when you want to go”

Carol placed a bowl and fork in front of Lena and her stomach growled when the scent hit her nose. She grabbed the fork and set about devouring the food, each mouthful feeling like an absolute delight as she realized she hadn’t eaten properly in over two days. Her bones ached and her energy was low but the feeling of food in her stomach made her feel immediately better about everything. Once she’d finished her meal, she played cards quietly with Glenn and Maggie. 

The gurgling of a baby caused her to lift her vision from the card game on the table and her heart almost exploded at the sight before her. Daryl stood in the doorway with Judith cradled in his big, dirty, arms. A bottle clamped between her tiny, pink, rosy lips. Maggie and Glenn noticed the look of pure adoration spread across Lena’s face as she watched the rough redneck smile down at the child in his arms, whispering to her. They exchanged amused glances as Daryl looked up. He stepped into the room, quietly and steadily making his way towards Lena. Carol had stopped pottering around in the background and was now stood watching Daryl near the table. He stopped in front of Lena, looking down at her. 

“Here” He said, lowering the baby at her, not giving her the option to say no. Lena’s back stiffened and she awkwardly held her arms out, having no idea how to go about holding a baby properly. She copied Daryl’s arm position and he lowered her down further, taking the bottle from her mouth as Lena took her weight. 

“Gotta support her head, right here” He said, tapping her elbow. She raised it and settled Judith into the gap, the intermittent baby grunts and gurgles making her lips curl into a huge smile. 

“Ya should feed her. You got her the stuff.” He said, holding the bottle out to her. She glanced up at him and took the bottle. 

“We did. Both of us.” She corrected. 

Before long, baby Judith was happily chugging away in Lena’s arms as she chatted quietly with Maggie, Glenn and Carol. Daryl sat on a table further back and watched her as she cooed and spoke to Judith, tickling her soft, cubby face with her fingertip and holding her tiny hands. Eventually, he stood from his spot and started up the stairs. 

“Im’ma go relieve Rick in the guard tower” He announced as he left the block. 

 

In the tower, Daryl leaned on the railings and used the scope on a rifle to scan the perimeter. Everything was quiet, especially on Lena’s side of the fence, where Bonnie and Clyde seemed to work as Walker deterrents. He made a mental note to mention it to Rick, if they could get some on their side, it might mean the fences held for longer. He thought back to the sight of her with Judith, how she initially looked totally out of her depth before settling into a new comfort zone. Babies weren’t exactly something Daryl was used to either, but he had found himself to be a calming influence on her when she cried, something he could only put down to her being slightly fascinated by him. 

Footsteps on the metal steps inside the stairwell caused him to stir from his thoughts and he turned to see Lena appear at the top. 

“Got your hint” She said, nervously fiddling with the hem of her big T-shirt. She had tucked the front into the waistline of her pants, which did more to show off her figure than just leaving it to hang around her like she was wearing a tent. 

“It was a hint, right?” She asked. 

Daryl huffed in amusement. “Yeah.” He said as he lit a cigarette and looked out onto the horizon. Their surroundings were now almost completely dark, the only light being cast from a number of small LED lights inside the tower and a few more dotted around the yard. 

“So, what we doin here?” Daryl asked, blowing smoke from his nose. Lena moved outside of the tower to stand next to him, placing her hands on the cold metal railing. 

“Just thought it might be good for us to get to know each other without having to look over our shoulders all the time. We’ve always had a reluctant working relationship. Maybe we could be friends or something.”

Daryl scoffed loudly. 

“Friends? Ya wanna be friends now?” He said, seemingly exasperated and exhaling another plume of smoke

“You don’t?” She questioned. 

He shook his head as he looked down at his almost finished cigarette. He flicked it out into the distance, the tiny red light of the bud vanishing into the trees. 

“I didn’t say that.” He grumbled. 

“If you don’t think it’s a good idea, we should just carry on as we are.” She shrugged.

“What, almost makin’ out on runs?” He snapped. 

“Daryl-”

“This is bullshit” he muttered under his breath. But Lena heard every word. 

“What do you want from me?” She asked, placing a hand on his arm. He threw her off and turned his back to her, rubbing a hand over his face. Lena stood there speechless, fighting to find the right words and struggling with the decision to just leave or to stay here and try and figure this out. Minutes passed and Daryl still hadn’t spoken or turned around and Lena was starting to worry that this could go on for hours. 

“I like ya” He finally said, his back still turned to her. “If ya don’t like me back, ya gotta stop holding my hand and making me think that ya might. I can’t keep doin this back and forth shit.” He finally turned to look at her. His expression now downcast and clawing at Lena’s conscience. 

“Oh, god” She sighed. 

“I can’t be friends with ya if ya keep doing that stuff.” He confirmed. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry for messing with your head. You didn’t deserve all this confusion.”

Lena gave him a sad look and nodded as she turned away from him in the direction of the stairs. She stopped at the top and looked back at him. 

“I’m very flattered by the way.” She whispered. 

 

In Cleo’s makeshift stable, Lena heaved heaps of hay and manure onto a wheelbarrow, cursing herself for not performing this task earlier in the daylight. Her flashlight sat up on it’s end, lighting the ceiling and providing enough illumination for her to see what she was doing. She hummed a gentle tune to herself in an attempt to drown out the gnawing thoughts of what she was doing to Daryl. She wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt him, her actions being the result of not really knowing who she was or what she wanted anymore. 

Once the stable was clear, she covered the floor with fresh hay and opened the door, pushing the wheelbarrow out onto the grass and leaving it there. She would take it to Rick in the morning as fertilizer for the crops. Going back into the stable, she checked around the stable and went to retrieve her flashlight when she heard a light knock on the door. 

“Uh…come in” She stammered, surprised to get a visitor on her side of the prison this late at night. The door creaked open to reveal Daryl, the large sack of horse feed they’d scavenged propped up on his shoulder. 

“Thought she might need this. Ya left it in the truck” he placed the sack on the floor with a dull thud.

“Thank you. Why are you not on guard?” She said.

“Asked Carol to cover me for now.” He replied, stepping further into the stable. “Told her I had something important to ask ya”

Lena raised an eyebrow “She knows what happened between us, doesn’t she?”

Daryl nodded shyly. “I didn’t tell her, she heard us. Saw me leave ya block too.”

She blinked at him in disbelief. Usually so prepared and able to sneak about under the radar, she had really messed this one up. 

“It don’t matter. She aint gonna start singin’ ‘bout it” He said. She was becoming more and more aware that the gap between them was closing rapidly, and it wasn’t her who was moving. Daryl stepped closer and closer until he was right in front of her. 

“Sorry if I snapped at ya” He mumbled. 

Something in Lena changed as she looked at him. Into his nervous yet rugged and attractive face. She lifted her hands and brushed both of his with her fingertips at his sides. 

“Lena, don’t” He said. 

“Shh” She hushed, linking her hands into his and feeling him flinch, ready to rip them away at any moment. She gently pulled him towards her and he took a small step, finding himself looking into her mesmerizing green eyes. Her hands left his and travelled slowly upwards, over the ripples of the muscles in his bare arms until she reached his shoulders. One hand moved across to land on his chest, while the other linked into his hair at the side of his face. She leaned into him further, her breath tickling the scruff on his lip. 

“I’m going to kiss you. If you have any plans to pull away, you should tell me now” She breathed.

He remained perfectly still, arms clamped to his sides as he stared at her. He had been waiting for this moment since their first tryst in the control room and his heart began to race. There was no way he was going to pass this up, no matter how awkward he felt. He only hoped she wouldn’t change her mind at the last minute like before, he couldn’t take another knockback from her. 

“You’re not saying anything” She purred. 

“I aint sayin’ anythin’” He agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and you shall receive. ;)  
> Thanks to those reading, leaving Kudos and commenting to tell me what they're enjoying and what they want to see happen. x

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she closed her eyes and gently brought his face closer to her. She sensed him holding his breath when her lips brushed along his. A soft, butterfly of a kiss at first as she felt him respond in the subtlest of ways. He lifted a hand, lightly tracing the skin on her cheek and sending a million, tiny, electric waves of affection and need shooting through her mind and nerves. She pressed her lips to his again, this time feeling him kiss her back, a raspy exhalation as his lips parted from hers caught her attention and she knew then that he had in fact been holding his breath. His short scruff grazed her chin as she encouraged him further, gripping his hair with her fingers and pushing her body against his. The hand at her cheek had now been moved to her waist and he clung to her, stumbling slightly on the spot as he intensified their kiss. Lena was admittedly slightly taken aback when he ran his tongue lightly along her bottom lip and over her lip ring, a bold move for someone that had been so shy but it gave her the shove she needed to take things to the next level. 

Daryl’s heart was pounding in his chest and warmth was spreading throughout his entire body, both of his hands were gripping at her waist, pulling her to him, unable to bring her any closer than she already was. Deciding to give her a sign that her lip ring was something he’d grown fond of, he used his tongue to trace over her piercing, feeling her pull back slightly in surprise, her eyes lifting to lock with his. She smiled shyly at him, her cheeks flushing a light pink before she threaded both arms around his shoulders and crossed her forearms at the back of his head, slipping her tongue into his mouth and finding herself unable to stop a soft moan escaping her lungs as he ran his hands under her T-shirt and along the sides of her body. 

He could feel her smiling into their kiss, so he broke away, wanting to see her face. She sheepishly bit her bottom lip and let out a small breath as her eyes darted from his down to his chest, which she then leaned her head on, needing to give herself a minute. Her knees were weak and her stomach had flipped. There was no way Daryl was about to move his hands from her bare skin under her shirt, if he could have felt all of her there and then in the stable, it still wouldn’t have been enough. 

“Ya OK?” He whispered in her ear, his hair falling over his face. She lifted her head to find him looking down at her, his blue eyes softer than she’d ever seen before. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and nodded. 

“Mmhmm” 

When he saw her smile again, he couldn’t help but grin as he leaned back into her, their lips connecting again. Frantic, passionate smiles coupled with happy, breathy groans that rose up from between them. Lena couldn’t believe she had stopped this from happening for so long. He tasted like cigarette smoke but she was hooked on him and the way his tongue danced with hers and made her tingle in places he wasn’t even touching.

His arms moved further up inside her shirt, finding her bra straps as he continued to kiss her and finding he was sporting another grin when she lightly nipped at his top lip. She broke away from him, her chest rising and falling as if she were out of breath. The truth was she was drunk on him. He peered through his hair at her, his hands now at either side of her face, cradling it while his thumbs gently ran over her cheeks as she grinned up at him in her happy haze. 

“Was worth waitin’ for” He breathed, the corner of his mouth curled up in an expression of both approval and lust. 

Lena felt her cheeks burn and wondered why she felt so bashful, she dipped her head and buried her face in his shoulder, one of his hands resting on the back of her neck. They remained in their tight embrace for a number of minutes, neither one of them wanting to break away. Lena shifted her head, moving closer to Daryl’s neck so she could fill it with feathery kisses. He tilted his head to one side and released a low, throaty growl as he breathed out. It occurred to him that if he wasn’t going to be able to use the raging erection in his jeans tonight, he was going to have to put a stop to things soon. 

It seemed Lena had the same thought at exactly the same time, suddenly tearing away from him and nibbling nervously on her thumb.

“We should…we should…” She tried 

“Stop, yeah” Daryl finished her sentence for her, finding himself flustered and having to catch his breath. 

“I didn’t mean to, uh- get you going. Sorry” She stammered. 

“Yeah, me too.” He said, gesturing to her awkward and breathless demeanor. 

“I should go” She said, catching his eye and giving him another bashful look. 

“Me too. I gotta go take over for Carol.”

They both nodded at one another and Lena went to make her way to the door at the same time as Daryl. He stopped and moved to the side, awkwardly stepping aside to allow her to pass.  
“Thanks” She mumbled as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the crisp Georgia night air. She headed for the entrance to her cellblock and glanced back to see Daryl stood outside the stable, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck as if trying to pull himself together. 

 

When morning arrived, Lena had hardly slept, the vivid memories and flashbacks of Daryl’s lips on hers consuming her mind and making her body ache for him. She had risen early, unable to bare it any longer and gone for a cold shower before getting dressed and heading out to see Cleo. 

Out in the Sun, Cleo was basking in the rays on her side in the middle of grass. Lena wondered why a black horse enjoyed being out in the sun so much. But Cleo was never like all the other horses. Her shiny black coat was almost steaming in the heat and Lena saw an opportunity for a cheap laugh. She stepped over to the water bucket, dipped a smaller bucket into it and crept over the grass towards the relaxed and oblivious animal.

 

Daryl sat with Carol on the benches in the yard, watching Lena through the fence as Carol fed Judith. As soon as Lena had stepped out of the building his eyes were on her. He had been in the tower all night, only catching a couple of hours sleep when Glenn had arrived at sunrise to take over. Like Lena, he had been restless and unable to concentrate on anything other than their encounter in the stable. Carol nudged him in the ribs. 

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” She chirped. 

“What? Oh, sorry” He mumbled, his eyes only breaking away from Lena for a second. 

Carol leaned forwards and peered around Daryl into Lena’s yard, seeing her watching Cleo and slowly filling a bucket of water. 

“Did you ask her what you wanted to ask her?” She prodded. 

“Wha?”

“Last night, you said you needed to ask her something important.” She reminded him. 

He went to respond but was suddenly distracted by the sound of Cleo huffing loudly and Lena belly laughing from across the yard. When he looked back, she was buckled over, giggling at the horse as she stumbled getting to her feet and trotted away, shaking her black coat and blowing through her nostrils. The empty bucket of water hanging from her hand and the grass in front of her glistening with water drops.

Daryl smiled at the scene and felt Carol nudge him again. Baby Judith whimpered in her arms, grabbing at the bottle in carols hand. 

“Well?!” Carol persisted. 

“Oh…uh, I didn’t need to” He replied. 

“What does that mean?” She asked. 

He brought his gaze briefly back to her before glancing about the yard. He wasn’t sure how to proceed in response to this line of questioning. He signed and fiddled with the rip in his jeans. 

“Turns out I didn’t need to do much talkin’ after all.” He finally said. 

Carol sat completely still, Judith gripped tightly in her grasp as she waited on tenterhooks or more information. Daryl’s eyes met hers before flickering away again. 

“She kissed me” He said quietly.

His revelation was met with a happy gasp from Carol, who he could see when he looked up at her was now staring at him at him, her eyes wide and her mouth curled into a huge grin.

“Well, did you kiss her back?” She beamed.

“Kinda stoopid question is that?” He jested, giving her shoulder a light shove.

“You did! Oh my god, Daryl! That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah, yeah. Get outta here” He growled playfully, shooting her a grateful smile. 

He was glad he had Carol to be happy for him and to talk sense into him when things got a bit too messy. She had agreed to cover for him in the tower the night before, on the promise that he sorted out the issue he was having with Lena once and for all. He had agreed to just ask her outright if she had feelings for him and demand an answer. Carol had reminded him that he wouldn’t have been out of line, considering all the times she had led him on and changed her mind. 

“So, what’s going on now? Did it all end up OK?” She said, looking down at Judith, who was now falling into a blissful food coma. 

“Damn, I dunno. It was all real awkward in the end.” He said, quickly looking around to make sure no one else was within ear shot. “Pretty sure she blushed. Now I dunno what the hell to do.”

“She blushed?!” She gasped again. “I may not have known her long but I suspect it takes a lot to make a woman like that blush. That is a good thing, Daryl” she assured him.

“It is?!” He asked, bewildered.

“Sure, it is. Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions. In that situation, she will have blushed because she likes you! Now, I guess you just have to see what happens. You should try and spend some time with her.”

“I dunno” I don’t wanna run her off. I aint got nothin’ to offer. Sooner she realizes that, the sooner this’ll all be over.” He mused. 

Carol slid her hand out from under Judith and placed it on his knee. He looked sideways at her a nibbled on his thumb.

“Don’t you talk like that. Don’t stamp yourself into the mud like your brother did. You did not pursue this for it to be temporary and you know it. I wouldn't underestimate her either. Lena is a _very_ intelligent woman, she wouldn’t have kissed you if she didn’t think you had as much to offer as anybody else. Besides, sometimes it’s not about that, it’s how you make a person feel when they’re with you.” She said sternly. “You’re a good man, Daryl. You’re every bit as good as the others. You’re not like you were before.”

“How was I?” He enquired. 

She sighed and smiled at him. “It’s like you were a child. Now…you’re a man.”

He studied her face for a moment, taking in and processing everything she’d said before giving her hand a light squeeze and rising to his feet. 

 

Lena was practicing her knife throwing against the stable wall, the blades hitting the soft wood with dull thuds each time, splintering the area around them as she retrieved them. It was important to her to stay sharp, keep fit and practice her survival skills whenever she could to stop herself becoming complacent and weak. Inside the safety of the concrete walls, it was easy to feel as though such skills were no longer needed. But Lena knew otherwise. Her aim was getting better and better but she still wasn’t satisfied until she hit every crudely sprayed target on the wall on the first attempt. 

She steadied her breathing and balance as she hovered her fingers over the holster on her leg that housed a small but deadly sharp blade. She was facing away from the wall, crouched with one leg bent. As she breathed out, her hand flicked the holsters fastening and snatched the blade up into her fingers in a split second before she whirled around and threw it with such force it embedded into the wood, causing a large crack to appear on both sides. She smiled when she stood up straight and noticed she’d hit the target right in the middle. 

“Some circus shit right there” Daryl quipped from behind her. 

She spun around to see him leaning against the gate post, a red bandana hanging from his back pocket and blowing in the wind. His leather vest was dusty, as if he’d been helping Rick complete some kind of messy task before she’d emerged into the daylight and his arms were dirty and shiny, the definition of them gleaming in the sunlight. 

“Is that a good thing?” She asked, wiping her brow with a partially gloved hand and feeling her heart rate quicken at the sight of him. 

“I’d say so” He said, slowly stepping towards her and squinting at her in the sun. “That and all the other kung fu shit ya can do.”

She let out a giggle, a smile staying on her face as she looked at him. 

“Hi” She whispered bashfully.

“Hi” He said back. Noticing the change in her. She was somehow more shy, more vulnerable around him. 

A moment of uneasy silence passed between them as they both struggled to think of something to say. Lena was perplexed at her enraging and uncontrollable urge to act like a teenager with a crush. Now she had finally admitted her fondness of him, it had almost turned her into an embarrassed wreck. She had never had this kind of reaction to anyone before and the whole thing left her feeling way out of her depth, which wasn’t good considering Daryl was well and truly lost too. 

“Ya been makin’ fun of Cleo. Saw ya across the way.” He said, wondering why he had just admitted to watching her. 

“Yeah, I think she’s mad at me for that. She made it really easy for me though, laying there all oblivious like a big lump of coal. Couldn’t help myself.”

He huffed slightly and shifted his stance as she watched him, her eyes searching him from head to toe as he admired her pretty face. The atmosphere between them had gone from difficult and at times, sour in the past few days to heavily sexually charged and electric overnight. Lena snapped out of it and turned to face the stable wall, removing the knives and strapping them back into their holsters. When she was finished, she stepped onto the grass, throwing a longing glance over her shoulder at Daryl. When he noticed her looking at him, she tilted her head to one side in a ‘come here’ gesture. Not having to be told twice, he followed her. 

They walked slowly around the perimeter of Cleo’s patch of grass, not speaking at first due to neither of them being able to think of a single thing to say that didn’t sound completely ridiculous. After a while, Lena began to feel brave. 

“Daryl…” She started.

He glanced sideways at her as they continued to walk. 

“…Last night, in the stable. I…um. It was…Ahh dammit why can’t I talk to you now?!” She sighed in frustration. 

Daryl couldn’t help but giggle from beside her. When she heard him snigger, she found it difficult to hold back her own laughter, fueled by the ridiculousness of the whole situation. 

“Great, I’m like a teenager with a fucking crush” She announced, throwing her hands up in the air. “I’m supposed to be a savage killer y’know. I don’t do coy. You did this to me.” 

He scoffed at this last statement “I’m good with that, took me long enough” He said, shaking his head at her. 

She stopped and stepped closer to him. “I thought about you all night.” She admitted, sliding her tongue over her lip ring. 

Daryl swallowed hard and tried not to focus on how much he wanted to frog march her back to the stable, rip all her weapons from her body and bend her over the hay bale. 

“Thought about ya too” He confessed, his voice a low mumble in case anyone should overhear.

She raised her hand and tenderly ran the back of her index finger along his arm from his shoulder to his elbow, his skin lit up and tingled as her finger journeyed slowly down. He looked down at his own arm, at the random need she showed to touch him. When he lifted his gaze to her, her lips were slightly parted and her chest was rising and falling noticeably. 

“Sorry” She said, snatching her hand away. “Uh-Help me get Bonnie and Clyde inside?”

Daryl decided against questioning her and dutifully went to retrieve Clyde from the fence while Lena collected Bonnie. When they were safely back in their pen, Lena made her way to her cellblock door. Not knowing if he should follow her, Daryl stopped at the gate, looking across the yard to Carol, who was still sat on the benches with Judith. She dramatically waved an arm at him, motioning for him to follow Lena. If Carol thought he should, then who was he to argue?


	12. Chapter 12

Daryl was shocked to find Lena wasn’t alone in the cellblock. At the far end, she stood in front of a locked iron gate that lead to the corridors of the rest of the prison. She had always kept it locked due to the building not being secure, Rick allowing her to have the keys seeing as she lived in there alone and had earned his trust. She stood in front of the door, one foot placed slightly in front of the other and her pistol pointed at two panicked faces on the other side. 

“Move and I’ll shoot you both.” She warned. In front of her was a man and a woman, both dark skinned and both covered in sweat and blood. 

“Please, we won’t hurt anyone.” The woman pleaded. 

“How did you get in?” Lena asked. 

“The back of the building has been knocked down, we just walked inside. We were looking for some place safe.” Said the man as he wrapped his fingers around the bars of the gate.  
With his lack of crossbow, Daryl could only offer a well-placed knife if things got difficult. He gripped the blade in his hand, holding it above his head and slightly in front of him as he stepped next to Lena. 

“The hell’s going on?” He growled sideways at her. 

“Walked in here and these two are rattling on the gate like rabbits in a cage.” She explained. 

“Please” The woman repeated. “Let us in, we’ll die in here, those things are everywhere.”

Lena glanced to her side at Daryl who was regarding the two strangers with a high level of suspicion. 

“If I let them in and shit goes south, you got my back?” Lena whispered to Daryl. He nodded straight away in response. She backed up to her cell, unhooking a ring of keys from the end of the bed and steadily moving back to the gate. 

“Listen close and listen good.” She said, levelling her gaze at them but not lowering her weapon. “I’m going to unlock the gate but if either of you tries anything, I will shoot you both in the face.” Her eyes moved over to the man, who was considerably taller than her. 

“You. Don’t let my size fool you. I can kick your gigantic ass seven ways to Sunday.”

He held his hands up to her. “I won’t touch anyone, I promise.” 

“Weapons. Through the gate, now.” Daryl ordered. They both immediately complied, handing him three guns which he placed in Lena’s cell, out of reach. 

She placed the key in the lock and turned it before pulling the heavy gate open and allowing them through. Daryl quickly set to work patting them down and checking for any other weapons, relieving them of their knives. The two people stood nervously in front of Lena and Daryl. 

“Thank you.” The woman said. 

Lena passed her Pistol to Daryl who kept it trained on their two visitors as she entered her cell, returning a few seconds later with her sword holster on. She stood in front of them and unsheathed the long blades, slowly and deliberately. She held the end of each sword to their throats. 

“What are your names?” She asked, her voice steady and controlled. 

“I’m Tyreese, this is my sister, Sasha.”

Lena studied them, their hands, eyes, skin and steadiness on their feet. They weren’t cannibals, but there were still a million and one other things they could be. Their clothes were tattered and torn and their skin was caked in dirt and dried blood consistent with them being on the road and having to fight their way through Walkers. 

“We just want a place to stay, we’re not dangerous” Sasha said. 

“Nobody is dangerous unless they have no choice.” Lena replied before quickly looking over at Daryl.

“How many Walkers have you killed?” He asked 

“A lot. Too many to count.” Tyreese replied. 

“How many people have you killed?”

Sasha exchanged glances with Tyreese. “A couple” She said. 

“Why?” Daryl pressed 

“Because they asked us to.” She said sadly.

“Go get Rick. I’ve got this.” Lena chimed in, glancing over at Daryl. 

 

Tyreese and Sasha spent hours with Rick, Lena and Daryl trying to convince them that they could be trusted. Lena, who wasn’t easily swayed after everything she’d been through, found herself to be the more trusting out of the three of them, offering to let them both stay in the block with her and confined to her side of the prison. 

“They can stay here with me. I’ll lock the gate to your yard for now.”

“Naw” Daryl piped up from behind her. “Aint having ya in here with them alone. They could be damn psycho’s!”

“You mean like you thought I was when I turned up here?” She stated. “I turned out to be OK, right?” she said, looking over at Rick. 

“I’m not so sure about this, Lena. You’ll be in here alone with them.” Rick warned.

She rolled her eyes. “I am more than capable of slicing the two of them into tiny pieces in seconds without any help from either of you”

Tyreese and Sasha knew better than to argue, instead they both sat at a metal table in the middle of the room while everyone argued around them. They exchanged awkward glances before Sasha propped her head up on the hell of her hand and sighed loudly. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, are we boring you?!” Lena snapped at her suddenly. “I’m fighting your fucking cause here, princess.”

Sasha sat upright again and shook her head, a look of irritation flickering across her face. 

“If ya havin’ them here with ya, I’m stayin’ too.” Daryl announced. “I’ll go get my shit.” 

“Daryl, no.” Rick said, holding a hand out and stopping him as he went to leave. “Lena, why don’t you just come and live in our block? Tyreese and Sasha can stay in here until we know they can be trusted.” He suggested. 

Lena sighed and thought for a moment. So far, her personal code that dictated she didn’t get close to anyone was failing miserably after she’d kissed Daryl and now couldn’t stop looking at him. 

“Fine.” She said. Daryl’s eyes shot up at her from the floor in surprise as she cast her vision at Tyreese and Sasha. “Either of you any good with Horses?”

Tyreese shrugged “We can learn.”

Lena sat at the table with them and drummed her fingers on the surface. 

“OK, so here’s my proposal, seeing as this is my cell block - My horse, Cleo. She lives in the yard out there. She has her own stable and is settled so I don’t want to uproot her anymore. You’ll pay your way by helping feed and groom her. I’ll show you everything you need to do. I also have two jawless and armless Walker mules that have been my faithful servants since the day I realized I had too much shit to carry. Their names are Bonnie and Clyde and they live next to Cleo. They are harmless to you. Cleo is my best friend and if you hurt her or forget to feed her or you shoot my mules, I will slit both of your throats. Aside from that, if you try and harm anyone that lives in this community I will happily stand aside and let Rick here shoot you with that lovely Python Pistol in his hand. The people here are decent and so is Rick. Don’t fuck up this opportunity. Do you understand?”

Sasha flashed Tyreese a broad smile before looking at Lena. “Yes, Thank you.”

Lena looked up at Rick. “That all OK with you, Sherriff?” 

He shot her an amused look and holstered his gun. “Sure is.”

 

Lena had pulled Rick aside for a quiet word before moving into her new cell in the adjacent block. She had requested a cell farthest away from the others, so as to at least try and keep to her personal promise with regards to anyone else. He had accepted her request with no questions and helped her move her possessions to her new abode. Carol and Maggie’s faces had lit up when Lena appeared at the top of the stairs with a box of blades and clothes. 

After she’d settled in for a couple of days, she had spent some time with Tyreese and Sasha, showing them how to properly care for Cleo, even giving them a lesson on how to maintain her shoes and how to feed Bonnie and Clyde. They had taken to their new tasks like ducks to water and Lena had become almost convinced that they posed no threat and should be allowed to mix with the rest of the group. 

Even after being scolded in the cellblock on the day they arrived, Sasha had taken a liking to Lena, a kind of mutual respect had formed between the two women. Lena could tell Sasha was strong minded and capable of looking after herself, traits she admired and she found herself frequently immersed in conversations of many types as they chatted through the fence. On one occasion, Sasha had enquired as to why Daryl always seemed so protective of Lena, hovering around her like a shadow. Lena had merely shrugged her shoulders and offered only a shy smile. 

Daryl and Lena had not spent any time alone together since she moved into the block. Wanting to keep their situation under wraps, they had both carried on as normal as if nothing had happened, with Carol glaring at them over many a bowl of steaming soup or pasta. They had indulged in long, lingering stares and Daryl had even gone as far as threading his hand into hers as they passed outside the cells late one night, letting go as quickly as he had made contact. 

 

When Lena arrived at the gate one morning to saddle Cleo up, everyone was still asleep. She used the quiet morning light to kit the horse out with all her tack, including her heavy, leather and guts laden armor. She fastened Bonnie and Clyde to Cleo’s saddle and Led them out of the yard and towards the main gate of the prison. Stopping briefly to put on her coat and swords and tie her bandana around her face. 

“Ya goin’ somewhere?” Daryl’s concerned voice took her off guard from behind her. She turned around quickly, seeing him walking down the slope towards her with purpose. The smell of the horse’s armor and the mules stung his nose.

“Oh, Morning. I’m meant to be going on a run with Glenn, but he’s been in the guard tower with Maggie all night and I’m reluctant to disturb them, so I figured I’d head out alone, see what I can find.”

Daryl grunted and wrapped his arms around his body as he squinted at her in the morning sunlight. 

“I’m getting kinda antsy and bored. I need to do something, make something…I don’t know.” She shrugged. 

“I’ll come with ya” He offered. 

“No, it’s OK. I’m better on my-” Lena trailed off, realizing what she had just said and how untrue it now was. 

“I mean, I’m fine on my own.” She corrected, kicking the dirt with her boot. 

“How long ya gon’ be gone for?” He asked. 

“A few hours, I’ll probably be back before sundown. Just can’t get up much speed with these two suckers on our tail.” She gestured to Bonnie and Clyde, who blankly stood gawping into space behind Cleo. Daryl gave Lena a slight nod, his eyes flittering between hers and the floor as he shifted his stance and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“Missed ya.” He mumbled. 

Her heart swelled at his admission. Although they now lived in the same building and saw each other all the time, they hadn’t felt further apart. Going on runs together and being able to sit away from the group on Lena’s old yard was a world away from hiding everything from everyone. 

“Um…Really?” She questioned quietly. 

He stepped closer to her, his hair falling in front of his eyes. His lips pressed into a thin line and he nodded. 

“Yeah.” He said. 

Lena grinned from behind her Bandana, her green eyes flashing at him. He lifted a hand and took hold of the edge of the brown fabric between his index finger and thumb, pulling it down to her neck so he could see her smile. He placed his finger under her chin, his thumb stroking along her bottom lip. For a fleeting moment, she could have abandoned her plan for the day and dragged him to his cell and had her way with him, until reality set in. She gently pulled her face back, his hand leaving her skin.

“Daryl, someone could see us” She whispered. 

“Findin’ it hard to give a shit anymore” he grumbled.

“I…missed you too” She confessed. Daryl allowed himself a long and detailed look of her face. 

“Ya aint back by sunset im’ma come out there and get ya.” He warned. 

She giggled and turned, stepping up into a stirrup and mounting Cleo. She wiggled in the saddle and pulled up her bandana and coat hood, taking the reins with her fingerless leather gloves. 

“Be a gent and get the gate for me” She said, winking down at him as she squeezed her boot heels against Cleo’s back end. The horse began to move forward and Daryl yanked on the chains to the gate. 

 

Upon her return, Daryl was still in the same place by the gate as he had been when she’d left, giving her a relieved nod as she passed. She hoped he hadn’t been there all day. Cleo was still as perky and alert as she had been in her yard that morning, she kept a steady pace throughout the whole day and never complained once. Lena was proud of her, pleased that her time inside the prisons fences hadn’t made her lazy or complacent. Her saddle bags were full, telling Daryl that she’d had a successful trip. As the gates hauled shut behind her, she removed her bandana and hood, knowing he would want to see her face as she passed. She flashed him a wide grin and headed off to Cleo’s stable. 

Later that evening, Carol had arranged for everyone to eat outside in the nice weather. Glenn and Maggie had fashioned a small seating area with the help of Beth and Carl and Tyreese and Sasha had been invited to join them by Rick. Lena had declined her invitation, choosing instead to stay and eat in her cell, immersing herself in solitude. She had been enjoying the peace when someone knocked lightly on the bars of her cell. She stood and pulled back the heavy, dark sheet that stretched across the bars, providing her with an ample amount of privacy, along with the location of the cell at the end of the row. Daryl stood on the other side.

“Hi” She breathed, leaning against the wall and pushing the door open. 

“Hey, you not comin’ outside?” He asked, stepping inside and looking down at her. She hadn’t bothered to move back, enjoying his close proximity to her. 

“Not feeling too sociable” She said. “I’m glad you’re here, I have something for you”

He raised an eyebrow at her, catching a glimpse of her black bra inside her loose-fitting, khaki button-down shirt as she moved off and went to the bed. She picked up a black drawstring bag and handed it to him. 

“What’s this?” He asked, slowly taking the bag from her grasp. 

“I noticed yours was falling apart, so I made you a new one. Open it” 

He lowered his eyes and pulled at the drawstring, shoving a hand inside and pulling out a brown, leather knife holster. He turned it over in his hands, noticing something that had been carved on one side, two tiny letters in perfect italic font, ‘DD’. 

“Ya made this?!” he asked 

“Yes” She squeaked nervously. 

“When?!” 

“Finished it about a half hour ago. I had all the tools, I just needed some extra leather. Picked some up while I was out today and added your initials as the finishing touch.” She played with the chain around her neck while Daryl stared at the gift in his hand.

“If you don’t like it, I can remove the initials and give it to Carl or Beth.” She said. 

“Naw, I do. I-I like it.” He replied immediately. 

“Here” She offered her hand, gesturing for him to hand the gift back to her. He complied and she moved closer, unclipping his old, broken knife sheath from his belt and threading the new one through. She fastened it and slid the knife into place. Daryl looked down at his new piece of equipment and raised an eyebrow in approval. 

“Nice.” He said, nodding and looking back up at her. 

She lifted her hand and tapped his shoulder, on top of his leather vest. 

“Can I take a look at this?” She asked, seeing his eyebrows furrow. 

“I’m not going to wear it or anything” She giggled. “I’ll give it back. Just…let me see it.”

He studied her face with suspicion, wondering what she could possibly want with his dirty, leather, angel winged vest. He didn’t like anyone touching it, it had been with him for years, from before everything went bad. It had become his identity and he hardly ever took it off. Deciding to trust her, he shrugged it from his shoulders and offered it to her. 

“Sit” She said, motioning to a chair opposite the bed. He sank down in the seat and watched her through his hair as she rolled open a tool pouch and selected a needle and thread. She worked quietly, not saying a word as she ran the needle and thread through the bottom of the left wing, fastening it back to the leather. Daryl noticed how her hands seemed to move in a fluid motion, telling him she was confident in her skill and that the chances of her damaging his pride and joy were highly unlikely. 

When the winged patch was fastened back into place, she held the vest up, checking the other wing and the stitching all around the garment. 

“There.” She said, leaning forward and holding it out to him. “Put it on so I can see how the bottom of the patch sits”

He stood and looped his arms through the vest, turning and showing her the back. She tilted her head to one side and smiled. 

“Perfect” She grinned. Daryl turned back to face her, his hand absent mindedly clasped around his new knife holster. Not knowing what to say, he just glared down at her. 

“Why’d ya do this?” he suddenly asked. 

She sighed loudly and got to her feet, leaning back on the frame of the bunk bed. 

“After what happened to us in the woods that day, you saw me at my worst. Or maybe it was my best in some twisted way, I don’t know. Either way, I was consumed with rage and then the despair that follows when you’ve had to kill people. You told me you didn’t think any less of me…and for some reason that I just cannot fathom, you still liked me. I even had you on the business end of one of my swords and screwed up your head when we were at the clinic and you still…”

She closed her eyes for a second and gathered her thoughts. 

“…You refused to hate me and still let me kiss you. I feel like less of a beast because of you. So, I wanted to do something to say thank you.” 

Daryl scoffed and slowly shook his head. 

“It aint nothin’, aint gotta thank me for shit.” He said “But, if I make ya feel better somehow, then I’m glad of that.” 

They both stood opposite one another, heads down, smiling at the floor for a few moments.

“I aint never gotten a gift from anybody before. ‘Cept maybe Merle bringin’ me some moonshine, a pack of smokes and a whore on my 17th birthday.”

Lena laughed and bit down on the nail on her thumb. “Sounds wild” She snorted. 

Daryl copied her laughter before glancing up and locking eyes with her. He tapped his knife holster.

“Thanks.” He said. “It’s real nice.”

Lena continued to smile. “Sure.” She whispered. “Y’know, people are going to ask you where you got it.”

He shrugged. “Then im’ma tell ‘em the truth. Pretty girl made it for me.”

Lena’s eyebrows shot up as she let out a huff of a giggle. “Ooh, smooth compliment. You’re getting good at this. But, I’m not sure I want everyone to know the truth. Yet, anyway.”  
Something in Daryl spiked. Anxiety clawed away at him, the thought of her still wanting to keep their closeness a secret because she was ashamed of him running through his mind.

“Why?” He asked. 

“I just, we don’t know what this is yet. So, until we figure it out, I’d rather it was just between us. Us and Carol, who you can’t seem to keep anything from.” She said, giving him a stern look. 

He nodded and stepped closer to her, brushing a strand of hair away from her forehead. She held her breath when she felt the light, subtle touch of his skin on hers and everything started to tingle. She had missed this feeling, the way he ignited every part of her body with the slightest of touches. 

“We’ve already had sex twice, yet you make me so nervous now.” She purred

“It’s different now” He whispered, gently pulling her face closer and pressing his lips to hers. 

He felt her exhale between kisses and melt into him, encouraged by her reaction to him as he slid his hand around her waist and inside her tank top, grazing her warm skin. She smoothed her hands out on either side of his neck and face, feeling his rough stubble, the shape of his jaw, his scruffy brown hair. A soft moan escaped her when her slid his tongue into her mouth and hastened his grip on her waist, his fingers digging in as his other hand moved slowly down, stopping on the small of her back. Gaining some control of herself, she gradually pulled away, peppering his lips with small kisses before she moved around to his neck. He growled in pleasure when the sensation of her lips tracing over his neck became almost too much as he fought the urge to slam her back into the wall, his erection suddenly growing fast. She stopped and looked up at him, her lips slightly parted and glistening and her breath shallow. 

“You should get back to the others” She breathed “They’ll wonder where you went” 

“Rather stay here with you” He replied in a gruff, hushed tone. She smirked and placed her head on his shoulder, nuzzling into him and gripping the sides of his clothes in her hands. She hated how giddy he made her, how she had to fight to keep control of herself and not say something stupid. She had everything else in her life controlled to the finest detail, except how he made her feel when he was near her. Since their kiss in the stable, she’d been distracted, clumsy and had her head firmly planted in the clouds but she had not been this happy in a long time. 

“Do you have any of that booze left that we found in that big house?” She asked, pulling back from him. 

“Yeah, why?”

“I’ll volunteer for guard duty tonight. Meet me in the tower when everyone has turned in. Bring the bottle.”

He regarded her with an impressed expression. He never had her pegged as a whiskey drinker, his previous attempt to get her to drink had failed miserably, but then there were a lot of things he didn’t know about her that he couldn’t wait to find out and sitting next to her on guard duty seemed the perfect opportunity. 

“Alright. See ya then.” He said, turning and making his way out. Lena sat on her bed with her back to the door and started clearing away her tools. He pushed open the heavy iron gate and paused, looking back at her. 

“Hey” He whispered. She glanced over her shoulder at him, seeing him quickly step back into the cell and swoop down to her, planting a sincere and prolonged kiss on her lips.

“Later” He said as he left the room. 

 

Darkness now blanketed the prison as Lena stepped outside equipped with only her pistol and bone swords. She wore a thin strapped black top and black camo pants. Rick was sat on the benches alone, watching the Walkers mill about beyond the fence at the bottom of the hill. 

“Careful, you’ll end up like me. Giving them names.” She quipped as she sat down next to him. 

“I don’t know about that.” He said. 

“I was wondering if I could take over guard duty.” She asked, glancing up into the tower and seeing Carol peering through the scope of a large Rifle that looked far too big for her to hold. 

“As long as it’s OK with Carol, it’s OK with me. Strange to get a request for tower duty. Usually only get complaints.” He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees and looking sideways at her. “You OK? Settling in alright?”

Lena gave him a polite smile. “It’s peaceful up there. I can think clearly. And I’m fine. I like being around the group. I just keep people at a safe distance.”

“We’re all good people, Lena.” Rick replied, giving her a concerned look as if she didn’t trust any of them.

“Oh, I know and I'll never be able to tell you how thankful I am for you letting me in that first night. I meant safe for them. People have a habit of dying when they get too close to me.” She admitted.

“Such is the way of the world now, huh?” He sighed. “Well, it isn’t always that way. We stick together, help each other out. We’re a family. Don’t shut yourself out.”

Lena couldn’t deny he made sense, but it was all much easier said than done. She lifted her vision to see Sasha moving Bonnie and Clyde into their pen for the night. 

“You think we can let them be a part of things too now?” She queried, motioning towards Sasha with her hand. 

“They’ve not given us a reason to keep them segregated. I don’t see why not. It was a good call you made, even if you did stomp on my authority.”

Lena laughed “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Got too big for my boots.”

“It’s fine. You’ve done a lot for this group since you’ve been here. Everybody likes you. Even Daryl and I thought he was going to be the hardest to get through to, but you two seem to be getting along these days.”

She smiled to herself, recalling the memory of their kiss not two hours before in her cell.

“Yeah, he’s softer than he looks.”

Glenn’s voice interrupted their conversation from the doorway to the block. 

“Hey, Lena! You wanna go on that run tomorrow?” he called out as Lena craned her neck to see him holding onto the door frame, leaning out in her direction. 

“Sure thing. I’ll come find you in the morning” She offered, getting a nod and thumbs up in return before Glenn vanished back into the block. 

“Anyway, I’ll go take over from Carol. See you later.” She said to Rick, rising to her feet and running her hands over the black headband in her hair.

 

Carol was surprised to see Lena emerge at the top of the stairs but welcomed her with a grin and a short hug nevertheless. 

“Hi. You’re relieved of your night time duty. I volunteered to do your shift.” She informed her. Carol looked confused, it had been a while since she had a tower shift and being relieved of this one didn’t make much sense. 

“I told Daryl to meet me here later. I’m…um…trying to spend some time with him, I guess.” Lena admitted, feeling her cheeks flush pink and sighing in frustration.

A sneaky smile spread across Carol’s face as she quickly began packing up her things, placing her book and her guns in her bag. Lena watched from the stairs quietly, only moving to place her pistol and swords on the table in the center of the room. When Carol was packed, she approached Lena and positioned a hand around her forearm. 

“I don’t need to lecture you, you’re a smart woman. But just know something; I met Daryl’s brother and he was a very difficult man to like. Daryl is nothing like him. He’s had a really tough life and he’s been through a lot. I had never seen him smile but now, I see it all the time and it’s because of you. I know you’ve been wary but he is a good person, take it from me.” She said, squeezing Lena’s arm gently. 

“I know he is.” Lena whispered. “It’s not him I’m wary of…it’s me.”

Carol gave her a sympathetic look. “We all need somebody. You have to let yourself feel it. You’ll regret it if you don’t”

With that, she removed her hand and headed down the stairs, slamming the door at the bottom.


	13. Chapter 13

The plastic chair under her creaked as she tilted back on it, her feet propped up on the metal rail in front. She was almost pushing it to see how much it would take before it gave way. The horizon had now all but vanished, eaten up by the ever-increasing darkness. Behind her, inside the tower, she had lit six small candles that she had shoved in her pockets as she passed the makeshift pantry in the cellblock. They produced a warm but subtle glow that allowed Lena to see the silver ring that adorned her necklace. She held it out in front of her, the metal glinting in the candle light. She considered many times that taking it off and throwing it away might allow her to move past some complicated issue hidden deep within her psyche. But for the time being, she was content with using it as a reminder to never, ever let anyone treat her like that again. 

She could hear someone walking up the metal steps behind her. Knowing it was Daryl, she decided to stay where she was, gently rocking back and forth on her chair. Once he’d reached the top, she could feel him stood right behind her. He gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder and lowered the bottle of whiskey into her lap. She glanced up at him and smiled, taking the bottle from his grasp. 

“Hi” She said quietly, feeling the nerves rise once again.

“Hi” He replied as he peered down at her. He removed his hand from her shoulder and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand before pulling up another chair and sitting down next to her. She cracked open the bottle, admittedly a little surprised it hadn’t been opened until now and sniffed the liquid inside. She let out a small whistle and screwed her face up. 

“This is some expensive stuff” She commented, before taking a quick swig and swallowing the drink. She could feel the warm, harsh rush as it hit her stomach, resulting in her holding the bottle up and squinting at the label before handing it to Daryl. 

“I spoke to Carol before you got here” She said as Daryl took a large mouthful of the whiskey and settled back into his seat, sparking up a cigar. 

“Yeah?” He replied. 

“She wanted to tell me that you’re a good man and nothing like your brother.” She stated, stealing a look at him beside her. He was now sat perfectly still, awaiting more information. 

“Are you? Like your brother?” She asked. 

Daryl puffed out large rings of cigar smoke as he took a moment to think. 

“Used to be I guess.” He said “Carol thinks I’ve changed. Grown up. Ya like your brother?”

Lena huffed and rolled her eyes. “Tyler was an ass. Spent his whole life letting our parents push him into a life he never wanted. While I rebelled and did my own thing, he was all ‘yessir, three bags full’. I often wondered if he even had any balls. Then he got arrested. Turns out he was stealing company money to fund his narcotics habit. My mom and dad were so humiliated, I think it was the first time I was actually ever proud of him. So no, I don’t think I’m like him.”

She held out her hand and he placed the bottle in her fingers. She took another glug and winced at the aftermath, passing the whiskey back. She shuffled her chair around, allowing her to see him more clearly in the glowing candlelight. He looked over his shoulder, scanning the inside of the tower. 

“Ya been stealin’ candles” He smirked. 

She bit her lip before giggling softly. “You snitch on me and I’ll make up some horribly embarrassing lie about you and spread it around the prison.”

“That’s fightin’ talk right there.” He said, motioning at her with his cigar. He switched the smoke into his other hand and placed the bottle on the floor between them. Lena noticed his empty hand hanging over the arm of the chair and took hold of it. His head turned quickly and he stared down at her fingers linked with his. 

“You flinch every time I touch you.” She murmured, hoping her statement wouldn’t cause offence. When she didn’t get a response, she decided against pushing him and chose instead to remain quiet, gently squeezing his hand. 

“Sooo tell me about your last relationship. You know all about my failings. It’s only fair.” She said, changing the subject. 

Daryl shifted in his seat and let go of her hand to take another drink from the bottle. He swallowed hard. 

“Aint nothin to tell.” He said. 

“Why?” She questioned. 

“’Cause there aint one.”

Lena felt instantly awkward and sorry for asking, but it was something she still felt curious about. 

“You never had a relationship?” She continued.

He shook his head and extinguished his cigar on the metal railing in front of them. 

_“Why?!”_ She exclaimed, any attempt to mask her shock disappearing with the cigar smoke floating in the air. “I- I didn’t mean that how it sounded. I mean, how have you not had a relationship with a pair of arms like yours?!”

He scoffed at her. “Females was never my strong point. Merle was the one had the luck in that area.”

She realized her mouth was hanging open in shock and she quickly closed it. The thought of Daryl having never had a girlfriend was something that had never crossed her mind. He seemed so sure of himself, if a little shy but there was no reason she could see that would have meant he’d been single his whole life. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t get it. You’re a fucking catch, Dixon” She said, picking up the bottle and allowing herself another drink. He didn’t know how to react to such a compliment, his eyes darting everywhere but on her. 

“And” she carried on “You know your way around the campus, if you catch my drift.” She tilted the neck of the bottle towards him, winking at him and bringing it back to her lips. 

“I been with women. They was always as lit as I was though. So, I was pretty damn shocked when ya jumped me that day. Was like my numbers came up or some shit with ya bein’ sober as well as way outta my league”

“Oh please” Lena complained. “I hate this league thing. No one is out of anybody’s league. This just a cop out for shy guys not to approach the beautiful women they deserve.”

“Tellin me you’d have noticed me in a bar?” He asked, looking sideways at her. 

“Yeah, I probably would have.”

“Bullshit.”

“Oh come on!” She cried, rolling her eyes and seeing a sly smile on his lips.

Daryl laughed and passed the bottle back to her, she gratefully accepted it and took another drink, the effects of the hard liquor staring to have an effect. Her head was fuzzy and her inhibitions were lowering. Quiet fell around them as they sat comfortably in each other’s company, listening to the chirping crickets and the snarling of the Walkers beyond the fence. Lena could feel Daryl looking at her, studying her. 

“I aint used to being touched.” He suddenly said. She turned her head and saw him look away from her, into his lap where the bottle had now ended up, Lena had decided against drinking anymore for now. 

“S’why I flinch or tense up. It aint you or nothin like that.” He explained. 

She got to her feet, surprising him when she stood in front of him. Her face was determined and focused but she had to put that down to the alcohol, without it, she’d have been like a giggling teenager.

“Stand up” She ordered. 

Daryl hesitated at first, before he grumbled under his breath and did as he was asked. 

“Come on” She said, motioning for him to follow her inside. 

The inside of the tower was rectangular in shape and had little in the way of interiors except for a table in the middle and a couple more chairs. Someone had left a few blankets piled up in the corner, Lena assumed they were for the colder nights. The walls were concrete, cold and grey in color and were less inviting the more she looked at them. Windows surrounded the room to allow for a good vantage point at any side. Daryl followed her and saw her pull herself up onto the table so she was sitting on the surface. She held a finger out and curled it up towards her, beckoning him.

He stepped forwards and stopped in front of her. She took the bottle from his hands and placed it next to her on the table. 

“You didn’t have a problem with me touching you in the control room that day.” She said, gazing up at his nervous expression. “I noticed how tense you were, but you’re worse now.”  


“Like I said earlier, S’ different now.” He mumbled. 

“Why?”

He chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about his answer, not wanting to say the wrong thing or scare her off. 

“I care…what ya think of me.” He uttered. “S’hard, getting used to bein’ touched, ‘specially by a woman like you.”

“A woman like me?” She questioned, feeling a pang of guilt for pushing him into talking about something that obviously made him uncomfortable. On the flip side, she knew this had to be done at some point, or she would never be able to take his hand without causing a chain reaction of tensed muscles. 

“Ya kinda amazin’. Beautiful.” He said quietly. 

Lena’s stomach fluttered. His view of her had far surpassed what she’d expected. She knew he liked her but had no idea just how much and to be described using such words had knocked her for six. She fell silent, taking both his hands and holding them tight. 

“I dunno whatcha see in me. But I don’t want it to go away.”

“I don’t think it’s going to go away.” She hummed, loosening her fingers from his hand and standing up. She softly ran her hands up his arms, over his elbows and to his shoulders, able to visibly track his muscles tensing as she touched them. When she looked up at his face. His jaw was pulled tight, as if he were fighting some sort of internal battle with himself. Taking her hands away from his shoulders, she slid them around his waist and pulled him into a tight embrace. His back stiffened for a few seconds before gradually relaxing as she stroked up and down his spine under his vest. Through his shirt, her fingers grazed over what appeared to be a bumpy landscape and she wondered what it was she was feeling. 

Daryl settled one hand between her shoulder blades, while the other one remained still at his side. He sighed when Lena snuggled her head on his shoulder, enjoying whatever it was she was trying to do. 

“Strength” She whispered. 

“What?” 

“One of the things I see in you.” She said, her head still in it’s comfy position on his shoulder as if they were about to embark on the most silent of slow dances. 

“It’s admirable, alluring.” She continued. “Then there’s how selfless you are. The lengths you go to for the people you care about. Compassion and understanding, you have showed them to me when they weren’t necessarily deserved.”

“OK, stop” He tried to interrupt.

“No. I’m not done. Shut up and listen. You’re damaged and while you might not think that’s a positive, it is to me. Damaged people have been forced to appreciate what they have, they see the light in the dark more than people that haven’t known what it is to struggle.”

She moved back and took hold of his free hand, lifting it into her vision. 

“This tells me you’re a survivor” She said, feeling a thumb over the scarred circles of old cigarette burns on the back of his hand, below his thumb. He turned his hand over and linked their fingers together. She moved her head up, in line with his ear. 

“Your arms, your broad shoulders, the floppy hair, the bad boy exterior. It’s all pretty hot because I know you’re not even trying. It’s just…you.”

He turned his head slightly to her and tightened his grip on her hand. 

“And” She purred “You treat me like you want to protect me, but when I see you glare at me through your hair, I know it’s because you want to throw me against a wall and fuck me like you’re trying to break me.”

Daryl froze in shock at her shameless statement. After repeating what she’d said in his head a couple of times, he glanced sideways at her. She was looking at him with a flat, serious and intense expression. He huffed in amusement and his mouth curled into a smirk. 

“Damn” He said. 

She raised an eyebrow at him, her face still deadly serious. “Am I wrong?”

He studied her face as he worked up the courage to respond before shaking his head slowly. 

“No” He said under his breath. 

 

The sexual tension between them was becoming not just unbearable, but enough to leave Daryl teetering on the edge of making a very brash and out of character move on her, the only thing standing in his way being not knowing how she would react. He had more than enough self-control in this area to last him a lifetime, it was the one thing he had never acted impulsively with, and it was now serving him well. 

Lena had dragged the blankets to the outside of the guard tower and had set them up so she could sit with her back against the wall and still keep watch below. Daryl sat next to her, quietly sipping from the bottle of whiskey that Lena had long decided she’d had enough of. She sat with her knees draw up, her arms draped over them loosely.  
The night air was turning cold and the growling of the Walkers below remained consistent. Lena could hear Cleo snorting from her stable in the next yard every now and then, taking comfort in the fact that she could still hear her and that her new stable hands were doing a great job. 

She considered it a success that Daryl was still sat beside her after almost two hours, it was now fast approaching the middle of the night and he hadn’t shown any signs of wanting to leave, even after she’d backed away from him after having expressed an extremely forward and blatant statement that had left them both yearning to rip each other’s clothes off. But she had to remain sensible, that’s how this was going to work, by making the right decision and not rushing into anything. She had to protect herself and she had to protect Daryl. 

“Did you ever want one? A relationship?” She questioned out of the blue. She felt him look at her briefly before turning his attention back to picking the label on the bottle. 

“Not really. Just kinda accepted it wasn’t ever gonna happen.”

“What about now? You think you’d want one now?” Now she looked at him, seeing him furrow his brow slightly. 

“I think ya know the answer to that.” He said quietly. 

She shyly dipped her head and placed it on his shoulder, linking her arm with his and shuffling closer to him. 

“You know you’re on a date right now, right?” She snickered, hearing him do the same. 

“Yeah, kinda figured that.”

“This is without doubt, the best date I’ve ever been on.” She admitted. 

“S’the only date I ever been on. But it’s a good one.” He mused. 

Lena hadn’t exactly been around the block, but she’d had her fair share of boyfriends coupled with some one-night stands that she’d preferred to forget. She potentially had a lot to teach Daryl about relationships, but she suspected that given time he was pretty good at figuring things out for himself.

“I went on a date with this guy once when I was in college, he was just beautiful. This…Adonis. I couldn’t believe he was interested. He took me to this fancy restaurant and I was so excited because they had lobster and I fucking love lobster, one of the only perks to having filthy rich parents. He was dressed all sharp, like a real gentleman. I borrowed a friend’s dress because I didn’t have anything that wasn’t too much boob or too much leg and you can’t have too much of both on a first date unless you want to look like you’ll put out for a packet of peanuts.”

She felt the light rumble of a laugh from his warm body cuddled next to hers. 

“So, we get this great seat and it’s by a mirror and I’m looking at our reflections and we looked shit hot, y’know? Like a really attractive couple and I’m sat there thinking ‘Damn, I lucked out here’. Now, there are certain things for me which mean I will never trust a person. Like if you don’t like pizza or you wear socks to bed every night…”

“Love pizza and nope” Daryl chimed in, causing Lena to laugh loudly. 

“…Good good. So, conversation is a little strained to say the least, this guy was dumb as a box of rocks and about as interesting as watching paint dry and then he says to me “I don’t like dogs” …and I all but punched him in the face there and then. I mean, what kind of degenerate doesn’t like dogs?! That was it. There was going to be no trust there and I didn’t even have a dog!”

Daryl was smiling down at her as she chatted away animatedly against his upper arm and shoulder, her hands acting out her story as she spoke.

“So I made sure I got my lobster from Mr. Boring Dog Hater and told him I was going to the bathroom. I went and got a cab home instead and he calls me around 30 minutes later and he asks if I’m OK because I’d been in the bathroom for a really long time. So I’m like “Oh, you mean the restaurant bathroom? I meant the bathroom in my apartment. Sorry.” And that was that. I saw him two weeks later at the strip club. He had no idea I worked there. Poor guys eyes almost popped out of his skull when he saw me on the pole. I laughed for like two weeks about that.”

“Savage” Daryl remarked. She looked up at him with an expression that said ‘Oh, please’. 

“Aint no pleasin’ some women” He quipped. 

“Daryl, he hated dogs.” She said seriously. 

“Oh, yeah OK, what an asshole” He grinned. 

 

When the early light of morning arrived, Daryl had admitted he wanted to stay with her for the rest of the night and offered to keep watch while she got some sleep ready for her run with Glenn. They remained on the floor all night, wrapped in blankets and indulging in an intermittent series of touches and light kisses that Lena didn’t ever want to have to tear herself away from. Carol was right, she did have to let herself feel it and how gloriously uncomplicated and simple it seemed to have become overnight. She liked him, he liked her and there was nothing else that should matter. 

As she headed down the stairs to the bottom of the tower to meet Glenn, Daryl grabbed her shoulder and shoved her against the stairwell wall. The cold concrete spiking through the bare skin of her shoulders and her swords making a harsh clanging sound in the echoey space. Her breath hitched in her throat as he grabbed her face and kissed her roughly, nibbling on her bottom lip and whirling his tongue around hers. Lena couldn’t help but release a loud moan which spurred Daryl on as he forced his hand into the front of her top, gripping with his fingertips at her stomach and the middle of her bra. She draped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her only to hear him smack a hand on the wall and suddenly push himself away from her, his chest rising and falling. He stood facing the door, glaring at her sideways. Lena stayed with her back firmly pressed against the wall, her chest flushed and her lips parted.

“Be safe” He said, trying to catch his breath. 

“I will.” She uttered. “We’re unfinished business, you and I”

She straightened her clothes and headed down the rest of the stairs, pushing open the door at the bottom. 

 

Glenn was waiting by the truck, sorting through a bag of supplies they might need for the trip when he saw Lena emerge from the tower. The door slammed behind her and reopened again, revealing Daryl who caught sight of Glenn and made tracks towards him. 

“Hey man” Glenn said in greeting to Daryl as Maggie appeared behind him, kissing him on the cheek on her way to take over from guard duty. “Be safe, come back to me” She said, pointing at him as she walked off, passing Daryl. 

“Hey” Daryl said, his voice gruff from the cigars, whiskey, lack of sleep and his heated encounter with Lena in the stairwell. Glenn could see he looked a little worse for wear but decided not to comment. He noticed Daryl watching Lena step through the door into the cell block and glance around the yard as if to make sure no one could hear him. 

“Do me a favour” He asked, stepping closer to Glenn. 

“Sure, something you want me to look for?” he enquired. 

“Nah, just…look out for her, OK? Don’t let anything happen to her.” He said, looking right at Glenn with a seriousness that almost put the fear of god into him.

“You mean, Lena?!” He said “Dude, it’ll be the other way around. She’s a badass.”

“Just do it, alright?” He growled, plucking a cigarette out of a packet he’d retrieved from his pocket. He placed the smoke between his lips and paused for a moment, squinting in the sun at Glenn’s confused face when it gradually changed as the penny began to drop. 

“Oh, I didn’t know man, sorry. Look, the place we’re going, it’s not far, I doubt it’ll even take all day. I got her back OK?” Glenn assured him. Daryl grunted in acknowledgement and hovered the end of the cigarette in the flame of his zippo.

“Keep this to yaself” He snapped as he walked away, leaving a plume of smoke behind him. 

 

Lena had quickly showered, changed into some light brown khaki pants and a tank top and told Glenn to get a head start, explaining that she was taking Cleo and she’d meet him at a superstore he wanted to check out that was only a few KM’s out but was overrun by Walkers last time he’d seen it. He’d agreed and said he’d scope the place out from a safe vantage point.

She had set to equipping herself with all seven blades and three guns as quickly as possible before running across the yard to get Cleo, who to her surprise was already saddled and good to go. Sasha and Tyreese had already kitted her out having been told by Glenn on his way out that Lena would need her. 

Sasha led the horse out of the stable and tugged on the stirrups before handing the reins to Lena. 

“Hopefully I’ve got it all right.” She said. 

“You’re an angel, thank you.” Lena replied, looking up at her and then to Tyreese, who stood behind her. “You should both go and talk to Rick today, it’s about time you were let into the community. I appreciate everything you’ve done for Cleo. See you guys later” 

She hooked a foot into a stirrup and hauled herself up onto the horses back, shaking the reins into place and shuffling in her saddle. Cleo’s armor had even been put on correctly and Lena had to admit she was impressed. She pulled her bandana up and her hood down and gave Tyreese and Sasha a polite nod as Cleo took her to the gate. 

 

Cleo kept up a reasonable speed considering the heat and Lena made sure to keep her firmly steered along the side of the road, on the grassy verge so as not to put too much pressure and wear and tear onto her hooves. After around 40 minutes, the horses shiny body began to emit a lot of heat and Lena hoped she would be able to canter just a little farther considering they were almost at their destination. Rounding the top of a hill, Glenn’s pickup came into view and Lena breathed a sight of relief and dropped Cleo into a trot. The horse tugged on the reins as if to indicate that it was about damn time. 

Glenn was perched on the top of the trucks cab, his legs dangling down through the sun roof. He had a pair of binoculars in his hands and was watching something at the bottom of what appeared to be a long, spiraling road. Lena hopped off of Cleo’s back and led her into the trees, tying her reins to a thick branch and planting a quick kiss on her head between her eyes.  
“Be good, stinky” She said. The putrid smell of her armor serving as a constant reminder that she was just as vulnerable as any human. 

“What we got?” She asked Glenn as she approached the truck. She climbed on the back and leaned her arms on the top of the cab, beside Glenn. 

“It seems to be clear. Which is strange considering it was overrun a few days back. I mean, like hundreds of them. I thought we would need to create a distraction but maybe we won’t have to bother.” He explained as Lena nodded along. 

“OK” She said “Let’s do this then. If you drive the truck down I can leave Cleo up here out of harm’s way.”

“Sure thing” He agreed, dropping down into the cab and waiting for Lena to climb in beside him. She slammed the door and immediately slumped her boots on the dashboard, reclining back in her seat as Glenn started the engine and moved the vehicle down the steep slope. 

“You should maybe hang back for a few minutes, I’ll signal you if it’s clear.” He offered. 

“Why would I do that?” She asked. “Maybe you should hang back” Her voice tinged with attitude. 

“Oh, I didn’t mean that you’re not capable or anything. I just don’t want you getting hurt. This is my run after all.” He said nervously. Lena’s eyes narrowed at him as she shifted in her seat to shoot him an intense glare. 

“Daryl said something to you, didn’t he?” She said.

Glenn sighed and screwed his face up. “He might have” 

“God sakes.” Lena spat. “What did he say?”

“He just asked me to make sure nothing happened to you, that’s all.”

Lena shook her head in annoyance and returned to looking at the road ahead, between her boots.

“I never get warned by Daryl about protecting anyone. What’s going on?” He questioned. 

“Nothing.” She said, quicker than she’d even expected herself. “Well, OK something, but it’s new and it’s not a big deal. So, no more questions and please don’t make it common knowledge.”

“Yeah, of course.” He replied “For the record, I think it’s great.” He shot her a warm smile and she found it hard to keep stoic, returning the gesture with a shy roll of her eyes.

 

The superstore that sat at the bottom of the winding road looked deserted as Lena hopped out of the truck and scanned the parking lot over her bandana. The air was dusty and dry and she was grateful for the added protection from the elements. Glenn readied his pistol and quietly scurried across the tarmac in front of her, checking for any threats. When he saw nothing, he found Lena peering through the glass front of the store. 

“Can you hear that?” She said 

Glenn listened, glancing around momentarily. “No, what is it?”

“Silence.” Lena said. “Something’s not right. You said this place was full of Walkers. There should be at least a few stragglers left.”

“Yeah, I’m with you on that.” He agreed. 

Lena withdrew her swords from her back and used one to tap loudly on a trash can next to her. The sound rang out across the area, a splitting crack that could have been heard for miles yet nothing appeared. 

Lena looked at Glenn and shrugged before whirling her sword around in her hand and smashing it through one of the glass doors. Glenn jumped at the sound as the impact of the sharp object sent a spider web of cracks through the glass which soon shattered when she withdrew the weapon. She stepped through the gap, holding her weapons at the ready in case she was charged by one of the undead but there were no signs of anything, living or dead occupying the building. 

Glenn grabbed a basket and began throwing items in it and shooting from aisle to aisle like an Olympic sprinter. What the rush was, Lena couldn’t fathom, there didn’t seem to be anything in here or outside, for that matter.

She chose to inch slowly down the bakery aisle, the shelves only containing items that had long perished and turned green or blue with mold. She slid her swords back into the holster on her back but continued to exercise extreme caution when walking down the aisle. Reaching the far end, she glanced back in the direction she had come from to see Glenn shoot across from one side to the other, heading down the middle of the store. 

“Well what do we have here?” Said a thick, southern accent from behind her.

She went to turn, her hand shooting up to her sword, only to be stopped by a revolver being shoved into her temple. 

“Ah, ah little lady. Be wise to keep them mitts where I can see em, so you aint slicing my other hand off. That’s some fucked up craftsmanship ya got on ya back. Turn around now. Nice and slow, let’s see ya.”

She slowly turned on her heels, hearing a high-pitched whistle from behind her. 

“Damn, those are some pretty green eyes ya got there, honey.” He quipped as Glenn flashed back into view from the corner of her eye. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Lena had company. The Man’s attention diverted but he still kept his gun trained on Lena’s head. 

“Well, I’ll be damned.” He said. Glenn dropped the shopping basket and he squinted in the dusty light.

“Merle?!” 

“Hey now, hows about a hug for your old buddy!”

Lena’s stomach flipped. Merle. Daryl’s brother. 

“Now this is a damn surprise! I come here to get a little peace and quiet, get a little lit, get a little high and the Chinaman shows up with an extra from Mad Max and starts smashin' my haven to pieces!” He joked. 

He shoved the gun further into her temple, sending a jolt of pain through her head before he hurled her towards Glenn. Seeing an opportunity, she deliberately stumbled over her own feet, landing on her hands and knees. Glenn lurched forwards, grabbing her arms to help her up. She lifted her head and caught his eye. 

“Don’t tell him where Daryl is.” She whispered as she got to her feet. 

“First things first” Announced Merle, grabbing the shopping basket and emptying it on the floor. “Let’s be havin’ them there weapons.” He kicked the basket towards Glenn and Lena, his pistol pointed right at them both.

Lena decided against throwing a knife at him or beating him half to death for one reason and one reason only; he was Daryl’s brother. She glared at him over her bandana as she began to remove her blade and guns, throwing them in the basket. Glenn surrendered his pistol and knife and took a step back when Merle moved closer to him. 

“Is Daryl alive?” He growled in Glenn’s face. Lena could smell the alcohol on him from where she was and his close proximity gave her a good look at his missing hand, which had now been replaced with a rounded metal cover complete with a bayonet. Inventive, Lena thought. 

When Glenn took too long to respond, Merle held up his bayonet to his throat. 

“Cat got ya tongue? Im’ma ask ya one more time-”

“He’s alive.” Lena said from behind the brown fabric across her face. 

Merle slowly turned his head away from Glenn and stared into Lena’s eyes. He moved the bayonet from Glenn’s throat and used it to push Lena’s hood back. 

“Ma brother’s alive?” He snarled.

Lena pulled her bandana down to her neck and stood up straight, giving off no signs that she was scared in the slightest. Glenn wished he had such a skill, although he suspected she wasn’t so composed on the inside. 

“Yes” She said “He’s fine.”

“And who the hell are you?”

“Lena” She replied. “I live with the group Daryl is with.”

“ _Lena_ ” He repeated in a mocking tone. “Well, _Lena_. Be a doll and tell me where he is, I bet he’s still with officer friendly, aint he?”

She replied quickly and sternly. “Neither me or Glenn are going to tell you where he is. Isn’t that right, Glenn?” She looked over at him, his forehead beading with sweat. 

“Yeah. Sorry Merle.” 

“Fine” He spat, grabbing Lena’s arm again and spinning her around before doing the same to Glenn.

“Y’all won’t co-operate with me, then I’ll take ya to someone who will make ya sing like little birds!”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!  
> Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I've had a tough time the last few days and haven't had time to write. But finally got round to it today.  
> So, all isn't always as it seems, our protagonist is capable and strong but she's also human, which means her feelings can cloud her judgement just like everyone else.

Glenn looked across to Lena as Merle marched them outside and into the sunlight, carrying the basket of weapons and keeping his pistol pointed in their direction. 

“We can take him” Glenn whispered through his teeth to Lena.

She very subtly shook her head, mouthing a response to him. 

“Trust me.”

 

Merle ordered Lena to drive while Glenn sat next to her and he kept his gun on them from the backseat. Lena carefully memorized every turn in the road and estimated the distance between each turn off. With every glance at Merle in the rear-view mirror, she thought of Daryl and how relived he would be to know his brother was still alive. She also considered how much of a pity it was that he was a first-class asshole. 

Lena slowed the car as the gates to Woodbury opened, her head full of constantly changing ideas as to how to get out of this situation without murdering Merle and getting herself and Glenn killed. Merle signaled out of the window to the guards that it was OK for them to pass and told Lena to park the truck by the sidewalk. 

The street in front of the vehicle was quiet, well-tended and clean. Lena could see a couple of people going about their business in the distance as if there was no threat from blood-thirsty corpses outside the gates. She looked across to Glenn and assumed he was thinking the same thing, his eyes steadily scanning the street before he looked across as her. 

“What the hell?” He hissed. 

Before Lena could answer, someone opened the door and pulled her out of the truck backwards, dumping a fabric sack over her head. She struggled briefly before remembering to keep calm and collected. _Think. Panic breeds mistakes, you know this._ She could hear the same thing happening to Glenn on the other side of the truck but he was putting up much more of a fight than her. 

“Separate em” She heard Merle say as she looked down at her boots which were now being dragged across the floor. Up a sidewalk, into a building with a dark grey floor, then into a narrow hall where the floor turned red. She listened carefully to her surroundings, the thudding of boots on the ground, and the screeching of a heavy, metal door being dragged open. 

“No, Lena! Lena!” She heard Glenn calling to her. 

She went to call back to him but was violently shoved forwards, stumbling over her feet and only regaining her balance when a rough hand took hold of her arm and plonked her down into a chair. Her hands had already been fastened behind her back with a zip tie and now she was also tied to the backrest of a chair and all of a sudden, she was alone. 

 

When the bag was ripped from her head, it had been hours since she’d first been brought into the room. Her ass was now completely numb and her arms were aching from being pulled behind her back. She had thought about freeing herself from the restraints, getting Glenn and running like hell out of there. But she knew they’d be seen and if not captured, followed which would lead them back to the others. There was no way in hell she was going to put everyone else back at the prison in danger, least of all the likes of Carl, Beth and little baby Judith. Either way, she was still faced with the decision of whether or not to kill Daryl’s brother. 

She slowly raised her gaze to see a smartly dressed man with a full head of looked after brown hair. The room was concrete, much like one of the rooms inside the prison. Cold, grey walls and metal shelving units not housing anything particularly useful. Lena made a note of her one, single exit and anything she could possibly use as a weapon should she have to. A table, the chair she was sat on…and herself. She returned her gaze to the man in front of her, her shoulders as relaxed as they could be with her hands behind her back. She glared at him with her head lowered. 

“I trust my men have been decent with you.” He said. 

His well-spoken voice not doing anything to simmer Lena’s quiet rage. She didn’t respond and continued to stare at him. From the room next door, she could hear crashing and banging along with Merles southern drawl. While she couldn’t hear what was being said, guilt welled in her stomach as she realized that what she could hear was Glenn being beaten.

“My name is Philip Blake. You are Lena, yes?” He asked.

Lena again chose to remain silent, her eyes still locked on his. 

“Not in the mood for conversation, I take it. Well, that’s fine, we’ll soon loosen that tongue of yours. Merle told me that you and your friend, Glenn is it? Yes, you and Glenn are from a bigger group. A group that has supplies and weapons.”

Her jaw was starting to tremble as she bit down on her tongue in an attempt to quell the explosive anger that was rapidly rising in her chest. 

“I’m sure you can understand, I’m very protective over my community and the people in it. Any potential threats need to be tracked down and taken care of. You see in this life now, you kill or you die. Or, you die and you kill.”

She could see her silence was beginning to irritate him and he wasn’t as good at swallowing his emotions as she was. He stood from his seat and slowly rounded her chair, stopping behind her and running a finger over her shoulder. She forced herself not to flinch when he touched her, not wanting to show any signs of weakness. 

“I take it you can speak, you’re just choosing not to and that your hearing is not impaired. Which means you can hear your friend in his predicament next door. You’ll tell me where your group is, or I will order Merle to up the ante”

Lena licked her lips and closed her eyes for a moment, telling herself that this situation was temporary and that everything was going to be OK.  
“I want to see Glenn. Take me to him” She growled. 

“You’re not exactly in a position to make demands.” He replied. 

Lena looked over her shoulder at him and clenched her jaw before speaking. 

“You seem like a reasonable man. Your methods are questionable, but your reasoning is sound. If you want information, you’ll take me to Glenn. It’s the only way you’ll get me to talk. You can do whatever you like to me, you can beat me, rape me, you can feed me to a Walker but I won’t sing. If you take me to Glenn and call off your sadist hillbilly, I’ll give you something.” She explained. 

He tilted his head to one side, his eyes roaming her face for any signs of dishonesty or weakness. Finding nothing, he nodded and wiped a hand over his mouth and chin. Lena surged backwards when he placed a hand on the back of her chair and dragged her backwards. The wooden legs bumping harshly over the uneven concrete floor. She juddered and cursed under her breath as he dragged the chair full circle and began heading out of the door. 

“Merle, open up!” he called out as Lena heard the clunk of a lock and another metal door being hauled open behind her. She was dragged through into another room that had the dank smell of blood and sweat. She was whirled around to face into the room and as her eyes lifted, she felt tears rise up at the sight. Glenn was also tied to a chair and had been badly beaten by Merle. His lip was bust, his eye cut, his cheeks littered with cuts and bruises and his clothes were covered in blood. He was struggling to hold his head up to look at her. 

“Don’t…tell them…a-anything” He stuttered. 

“Oh god” She said, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” She whispered. 

“Are we willing to share, now?” Philip asked her. 

 

In the prison, Daryl had been pacing back and forth in front of the gate since the sun had started to go down. He had smoked a whole pack of cigarettes and refused to come away from the gate no matter who had tired to talk him down. He stopped in his tracks and looked down the path into the trees, expecting to see Glenn’s truck making its way towards him, but nothing appeared. 

“I’m worried too.” Maggie’s voice from behind him. He turned to see her walking down the slope towards him, equipped with a pistol and knife and carrying a flashlight. 

“It’s been hours. They should have been back by now” He mumbled. 

“You wanna go look for them with me?” Maggie asked, holding up her flashlight. “I can’t sit around here and do nothing anymore, I’m going crazy.”

Daryl nodded “Yeah, I do. Hold up one sec though.” He said, marching past her up to the yard. 

Rick and Carol were sat on the benches outside finishing up their meal. They both stopped and watched Daryl as he approached. 

“Somethin’s not right. Maggie feels it too. They should have been back by now. Im’ma go with her and look for ‘em.” He said, stopping in front of them.  
Carol gave him a sympathetic look and stood up. 

“I’ll go with you. It’ll be dark soon, safety in numbers.” She sighed, turning and heading inside to retrieve her weapons. 

Rick nodded at Daryl “OK man, we’ll all go. It has been a while. I’ll meet you at the gate in a few minutes.” 

Relieved to find the others were willing to cooperate, he soon realized that this wasn’t an entirely good thing. It also meant the situation was becoming bad enough that other people were beginning to notice the need to form a search party. 

As Daryl walked back to the gate, he passed Tyreese, who was on his way out of the gate from his and Sasha’s yard. 

“Hey, Daryl? You need an extra pair of hands? Lena’s kind of the reason my sister and I are here. I’d like to pitch in if I can.” He confessed, seeing Daryl regard him with suspicion at first while chewing his bottom lip. He shrugged his crossbow further up his shoulder and lifted his head in approval. 

“More the merrier.” He stated. 

 

Lena kept eye contact with Glenn, screaming at him in her head and hoping he could at least get the gist of what she was telling him.  
_I’m with you. I got this. Hang in there._

“There, you can see him. Where are your group?” Philip asked from behind her. 

She turned her body slightly so he could see her face and beckoned him over with a couple of flicks of her head. He stood next to her and bent down, lowering himself to her level. 

“Here, I’ll whisper it.” She said quietly as he moved closer to her. She positioned her mouth next to his ear. 

“No…Lena, No!” She heard Glenn try.

“I’m going to slice you open, rip out your intestines and use you as a fucking skipping rope.” She hissed before letting out a loud and sinister cackle. Glenn frowned at her confidence, hoping it wasn’t misplaced and she knew what she was doing. 

Philip straightened back up and landed a loud, dry slap across Lena’s face. Her head snapped to one side from the impact and her face stung with pain. She was sure it’d leave a mark and could feel the split skin on her cheekbone, but she continued to laugh, undeterred by the violence.

He shot Merle a stern glance and motioned for him to step further back, away from their prisoners. He moved closer to him. 

“Let’s throw one of our friends into the mix and see how smug she’s feeling then.”

Merle left the room and Philip stepped out into the hall while Lena turned her attention back to Glenn. 

“I’m sorry” She whispered. “I should have done something, But I didn’t want to kill him. He’s Daryl’s family. Maybe I should have knocked him out or something” 

Glenn gave her a half-hearted nod. “He would have followed…u-us back a-anyway. I have to protect M-Maggie.”

“Stay with me, OK? I’ll get us out of this. I promise.” She assured him. 

 

Maggie and Carol rode in the backseat while Daryl and Rick sat in the front, Tyreese acting as a guard on the flatbed of the pickup at the rear. They moved slowly along the road, scanning the trees and looking for any tire marks from Glenn’s truck or horseshoe prints from Cleo. Daryl had one foot planted on the glovebox in front of him, his arm draped over his knee and a thumb clamped under his teeth. He hadn’t been this worried about someone since Rick told him he’d left Merle on a roof in Atlanta. He tried to quiet his mind of all the horrifying possibilities that would have meant neither Lena or Glenn had returned. 

“Rick! Watch out!” Tyreese cried from the back of the truck, slapping his hand on the cabs roof. Rick hit the brakes just in time to see Cleo lunge out in front of the truck. Daryl shot upright and squinted through the windscreen. The horses’ eyes were wild, her reins hanging in front of her and all her tack and armor still intact. She shuffled on the spot in the trucks dipped headlights as if she knew the humans in the truck were Lena’s friends. 

“Cleo?!” Maggie exclaimed, jumping out of the vehicle and slowly inching towards the animal. She held out her hand and Cleo nervously approached her.

Rick let out a loud sigh and looked over at Daryl with a hopeful expression. 

“This could be a good thing.” He said, trying to reassure him. 

Carol joined Maggie as Cleo took another hesitant step forward, her head stretched forward as she sniffed the two women. Maggie leaned toward her and took the reins while Carol reached up and stroked the horses head, immediately seeing the animal calm. 

“You guys go on, I’ll take Cleo back to the prison.” Carol offered. 

“Hold up.” Daryl said, leaning over Rick. “You gonna be alright?”

Carol smiled at him while dragging the reins back into the correct position over Cleo’s neck. 

“I used to ride as a girl, I’ll be fine. Someone needs to get her home before the Walkers get her and besides, when you find Lena, she’ll want to know her horse is OK.”  
“Be safe.” Daryl said in acceptance before sitting back in his seat. 

Maggie helped Carol mount the horse and patted Cleo on the neck before climbing back into the truck. She gave Carol a warm smile as they passed and made their way back to the prison. 

“Look at that” Rick mentioned, shuffling closer to the steering wheel and looking down his nose at the road surface. “Tire marks, they veer off to the left, possibly that turning right there” he said, pointing to a small, almost hidden road a few yards ahead. 

 

Lena had managed to pull the rung out of the back of the chair that had fastened her hands to the backrest, she was now able to stand and move around the room and was halfway through trying to free Glenn’s hands when she heard movement outside. She jumped back into her seat as the door opened, holding the wooden post in her hand back in the place where it came from to ensure no one would figure out her progress. 

From behind her she could hear the unmistakable snarling of a Walker. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Glenn, who was gawping at the doorway, fear etched into his features. 

“Ah shit” She sighed to herself. 

As the door closed and the snarling intensified, she looked over her shoulder to see a Female Walker stumbling towards them, brown, bloody teeth bared and half it’s skin on it’s face missing. She shot up from her chair and kicked it at the Walker. It slammed against her legs, causing her to stumble and hit the floor momentarily which gave her enough time to grab Glenn’s chair and haul it out of the way, placing herself between him and the Walker. 

In her hands she held the wooden spoke from the chair, the only problem was, they were behind her back. The Walker was now on her feet again, a bubbling growl humming away in her throat. Her long white dress was ripped and caked in blood and gore and Lena was sure that even Bonnie and Clyde didn’t smell that bad. She lunged at Lena, her hands outstretched and whatever fingers that she had left went to grab at her shoulders. 

She quickly moved into a defensive stance, shifting her weight onto her back leg and kicking up as high as she could. The heel of her boot connected with the Walker’s chin, sending a sickening crack ringing out through the room. The Walkers head shot back and it hit the metal door with a loud bang before coming back for more.  
She knew she had to floor it to have any chance of eliminating it so got back into her stance and readied herself again. This time going in low when the Walker threw its self at her. She swiped a leg under her, knocking her off balance and seeing her hit the deck like a sack of potatoes. Lena bolted up and landed a boot heel on the back of the corpses head with all her might, emitting a loud grunt as her foot connected with its skull. The Walker fell completely still and Lena tried to steady her breath. She looked over at Glenn, who was copying her breathlessness just from watching the events unfold in front of him. 

“Piece of cake” She commented, trying to move her arms up and over her head from the back, only to be stopped by being unable to rotate her shoulders enough.  
The door slid open again and Merle and Philip stepped inside. 

 

“There!” Maggie yelled, leaning through the gap in between the front seats and pointing at Glenn’s truck, parked outside the superstore. Rick stopped the vehicle and Everyone hopped out with Tyreese and Daryl leading the way with the crossbow and rifle. Maggie ran to the truck, half expecting Glenn to still be inside but finding only empty seats and some binoculars. 

“Im’ma check out inside” Daryl said to the others, charging in before Rick could warn him about being careful and sticking together. He ran after him into the dark superstore. Maggie followed beside Tyreese as the four of them crept through the silent store. A thick layer of dust had formed on the usually shiny floor surface since the world went bad and Daryl thanked his lucky stars that it had. He could clearly see boot prints from both Lena and Glenn in the bakery aisle but felt a stab of dread when he identified another set of prints from a third person. He signaled the others to follow him as he tracked the prints all the way out to the back of the store. 

“They got into a car or somethin’” He said, shining a flashlight down onto the ground. 

“Looks like it was leaking oil” Rick observed. “Lucky for us.”

 

Merle had raised his pistol as soon as he saw that Lena was on her feet, standing over the dead Walker. 

“She got some sack on her” He said, visibly impressed.

“If she moves, shoot her.” Philip ordered as he stepped further into the room, taking another zip tie from his pocket.

Lena jumped at him, charging him with her shoulder and gaining some momentum when she was stopped by what felt like someone hitting her with a baseball bat. She was thrown back onto the floor, her head smacking the concrete. Pain began to sear through her arm causing her to cry out and want to clutch hold of it, but it only got worse with the touch of her hand. She lifted her head and looked at her bloodied arm. 

“You…fucking… shot me” She gasped as the burning from the wound began to spread through her entire arm and across her shoulder. Blood began to pump from the wound, running down her arm and pooling on the floor.

“Ya moved” Merle shrugged at her from the doorway, his gun still raised and pointed at her. “Aint so perky now huh, sweetheart?” He jested. 

She tried to get to her feet only to be pushed back down by Philip. Not only were her wrists beginning to bleed and burn with pain from the already existing makeshift handcuffs, but her arm now felt like it was going to fall off. Philip grabbed her shoulder and slammed her into some shelves, quickly looping the zip tie through the one binding her hands and around the metal frame behind her. 

“There” He said, slapping her cheek twice and turning to Glenn. Lena jumped when he suddenly backhanded him and took out his knife. Glenn’s head bobbed forwards and he spat blood onto the floor. Philip pulled his head up by his hair and stood behind him, his knife to his throat. He glanced over at Lena and raised an eyebrow. He held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity, his eyes burning into her soul. Her stomach lurched as he pressed the knife further into Glenn skin. 

“NO!” She yelled. “OK!, OK! I’ll tell you!”

He lowered the knife and let Glenn’s head dropped forwards again. 

“...Lena, no.” Glenn tried. 

“Shut up Glenn. I can’t just let this asshole kill you.” She snapped. 

Philip raised both his hands, palms to the ceiling on either side of him “Well?”

She sighed and shook her head, tears dropping from her cheeks. 

“There’s a house.” She said. “A Mansion. It’s at least a day’s drive. I can draw you a map.”

His mouth curled into a sinister smile. “Go on”

“There’s gates, high walls. Food, beds…weapons.” She sniffed. “Please, don’t hurt them. They haven’t done anything to you and they won’t if you just let us go.”

“Not an option.” He snapped in response. “Can’t be too careful these days. Merle, get the lady a pen and paper will you?”

Merle left the room and Lena continued to sniff and release tears. Her shoulders jolted and her chest heaved as she put on the most convincing of shows, years of lying to her parents and faking having to care when they were angry at her now paying off. When Merle returned, Lena drew a detailed map of the route to the mansion with her good arm, using her leg as a table and handed it to Philip. He snatched it from her, walked to the door and stood in front of Merle. 

“Ya want me to check it out?” Merle offered. 

“No. I want you to stay here. I don’t trust her being left alone. Shoot her other arm and then her subsequent limbs if she moves again. I’ll gather some guys and head out today”

When the door closed, Lena caught Merle’s eye and watched him lean back against the wall. He was nothing like Daryl, he was hard, reckless, unpredictable and a formidable presence but he still did not scare Lena even after he’d shot her and beaten Glenn. Safe in the knowledge that she had something he wanted, she shuffled in her spot, facing him. 

“Daryl misses you.” She said quietly. His response to this comment was to freeze to the spot and study her expression which was deadly serious. 

“And how would you know that, sugar?” He asked. 

“Because I asked him and he told me.” She said, softening her tone. 

“Yeah, well im’ma be seein’ him real soon thanks to you.” He smirked. 

“Yeah, well don’t expect a happy family reunion. What do you think he’s going to say when he finds out you beat his friend half to death and shot the only girl he’s ever cared about?” She said, levelling her gaze at him and lifting an eye brow. “Hmm?”

Merle didn’t respond to her, he just scoffed and turned his attention to Glenn. 

“I guess this old world gets a little smaller toward the end, huh? Ain't so many of us left to share the air, right? Y’know, when they found me, I was near bled out. Starvin’. Thinkin’ to myself a bullet might make a good last meal. Take myself a nice long nap after. Wait for Daryl on the other side.” He said. Glenn didn’t respond, not even bothering to lift his head. 

Lena decided to let her last comment sit with Merle for a while as she watched him from her position on the floor. Her arm was now aching with such intensity it was making her feel sick, but she kept her cool, not wanting to show any weakness in from of Merle. Sweat was beginning to coat her forehead and chest as she fought with all her might not to focus on the potentially fatal injury. 

Eventually, Merle moved and picked up the chair that Lena had kicked at the Walker earlier on. He sat down and leant his pistol hand on his knee.

“Yo, Mad Max.” He said. Lena shot him an irritated stare. 

“Y’all holed up in a mansion, aint nobody tried to take that shit from ya?”

Lena just looked at him through the soft strands of her hair and remained quiet. She could hear Glenn sniffing back blood from behind her as she tried not to focus on the agonizing pain in her arm and the rapidly growing pool of her own blood that her legs were sat in. Merle suddenly huffed loudly and shook his head. 

“Son of a bitch.” He said. “You lied.”

Lena grinned and nodded at him. “Penny’s dropped.” She quipped, letting out a small giggle. 

“All he’s going to find in that house is a bunch of hungry cannibals.”

She looked back at Glenn, who was trying his hardest to give her a smile among all his injuries. She returned the gesture, flashing him a toothy grin before returning her attention to Merle.

“I had to buy myself some time to make a deal with you.” She said.

He laughed loudly and stood up, pacing slowly back and forth in front of her before stopping and giving her a confused look “Is that right? C’mon now darlin’, let’s hear it. Aint got all day, have we?”

“I saw the look in your eye when I told you Daryl was alive.” She explained. “You love your brother. He’s probably the only thing you’ve ever loved in your life. It’s the same for him. I don’t think he ever lost faith in you, I think he still believes you’re alive.”

Merle’s weathered face was now stony and he’d lost some of the color in his cheeks. 

“You want to see him again?” She asked. 

“Course I do, he’s ma baby brother” he snapped, waving a hand at her as if to shoo her away. 

“Let us go and you will. I’ll give you my word.” She promised. “The only reason I didn’t kill you back at the store is because of Daryl. He would never forgive me if he found out I murdered his brother. If you want to see him again, all you have to do, is leave me a key and a knife and tell me where my weapons are.”

He laughed again. “Y’all comin’ out with these wild ideas! It aint that simple, honey! I can’t just waltz outta here”

“You don’t have to. Leave me a key and I’ll do the rest. I’ll get Glenn out of here and bring Daryl to you. Not here though, somewhere else.”

He scowled at her with a face that suddenly really reminded her of Daryl and she realized how much she missed him. He would be going out of his mind by now no doubt. 

“Think about it, Merle. I want Daryl to be happy, he deserves that much.” She said quietly. 

“This…is…y-your only c-chance to see him again” Glenn added. 

 

After another hour had passed, Lena was starting to feel lightheaded and had noticed that Merle kept looking over at her. He suddenly stood, ripped the arm of his shirt off and walked towards her. 

“Lemme tie that arm up or ya gon’ bleed to death and chew our faces off or some shit.” He snapped. 

He wrapped the fabric around her arm, tying a knot and pulling it tight. She winced at the pain but was relieved she now had something to stem the bleeding. After a few more moments of silence, Merle sighed loudly. 

“He’s keepin’ ya weapons in his apartment. It’s the white buildin’ on the street, top floor. You deliver ma brother to me n’ I’ll letcha’ go.” 

“You have my word.” Lena said “A person is only as good as their word.”

“Huh, aint that some shit?! Ya lied before” he mentioned. 

“This is for Daryl. Not you.” She spat. 

He studied her face, refusing to look away from her intense stare. He removed a small knife from his belt and placed it on the ground a couple of feet away from Lena before making his way to the door. 

“Fuck this up and I’ll happily finish ya both off”. He mumbled as he heaved the door open and shut it behind him.


	15. Chapter 15

Lena exhaled loudly and heard Glenn do the same. 

“He didn’t…L-leave the K-key.” He stammered.

“Yes, he did” She assured him “He didn’t lock the door when he left.”

She began throwing her feet in the direction of the knife, slipping further down in her space to extend her body as far as it would go, the pain in the arm hindering her speed. She hooked a boot over the knife and scraped it along the ground until it was by her side. Dipping her head as far down as she could, she gripped the handle in her teeth and brought it up and over her shoulder, dropping it down her back and hearing it clatter down into the space between the shelf and her hands. She tried to twist her wrists to grab a hold of it, grunting in pain as the harsh plastic dug into the skin as she moved. Finally grabbing the handle, she began rubbing the blade against the zip tie, soon releasing it and gasping at the searing, piercing agony in her arm as it moved into a new position. She set to carving her way out of the second zip tie, this one more awkward being closer to her skin. She felt the knife catch the side of her hand as she worked and she drew in a sharp breath through her teeth. Finally, it snapped and she tried to concentrate on something other than the pain as she moved over to Glenn and cut through his plastic handcuffs also. 

She crouched in front of him and took his hands in hers. 

“I’ll never forgive myself for getting you hurt. I’m so sorry.” She said.

She sprang up before he could respond, her head whirling from the blood loss and exhaustion and stumbled to the door. As she placed a hand on the metal handle, she took a moment to steady herself and regain her composure. She pulled the door open a crack and peered out into the hall. Gunshots suddenly rang out nearby and she squinted at the shadows dancing at the end of the hall, thuds, bangs and shouts all mingled together before three people came charging down the hall towards her, she almost slammed the door shut when she realized who she was now stood face to face with. 

_Daryl._

Daryl grabbed the door handle and pushed it open, taking Lena into his arms and burying his face in her neck. He had the strong odor of sweat, smoke and metal and she had never been happier to smell it. 

“Ya alright?!” He asked, pulling away from her and grazing a hand over her wounded arm. She nodded sadly. 

Rick and Tyreese were next in the room followed by a distraught looking Maggie who gasped in horror when she saw the man she loved, beaten half to death. She ran to him, afraid to hug him in case he shattered into a million pieces in front of her. Lena looked on consumed by guilt.

Suddenly, she grabbed at Daryl’s vest, her eyes wide. “Cleo?!” She pleaded. 

“She’s fine” He soothed “We found her, Carol took her back.”

She felt her shoulders relax and the ball of anxiety in her stomach hush when she thought of Cleo being back in the safety of her stable at the prison. Glenn remained quiet and Lena took that as a signal that he was still letting her take the lead and make the decisions about weather or not to tell Daryl what Merle had done. She caught his eye as Maggie helped him to his feet and he gave her a small, barely noticeable nod. 

Rick placed a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?” He asked. 

“I’ll explain everything later, right now, you need to get Glenn out of here and back to Hershel. I’ll meet you back there, I have something I have to do first.” She told them.

Daryl almost laughed in her face. “Ya fuckin crazy? Naw, ya coming back with me.” He said.

“I need to go and get my weapons.” She said “I’m not leaving without them. I’m sorry but this is non-negotiable.”

She went to walk out of the room when Daryl clamped a hand around her wrist and glared at her angrily. 

“Ya almost got killed, ya think I’m gonna leave ya now?” He growled

“You don’t have a choice. You will leave me. Help them get Glenn to safety.” She said as she darted off down the hall.

Daryl went to follow her, getting halfway when Rick called him back for help. Torn between the two situations, he was faced with Rick staring him down, his eyes telling him everything.

_We need you._

 

She slinked along the corridors, Merle’s small knife clasped in her hand and her heart pounding. Falling into an alcove just in time, a man with a large rifle passed her. In this she saw an opportunity and jumped on him as he passed, sinking the knife up into the base of his skull. He stiffened before relaxing and falling backwards into a crumpled heap. She leant down, took his rifle, dragged his shirt from his back, threw it over her shoulders and placed his red baseball cap on her head, cursing herself internally for having dreadlocks that meant the hat was far too tight. Still it wasn’t a fashion show and she figured it would have to do. 

Reaching a door to the outside, she crouched below the window and listened to the heavy gunfire in the street, Ricks group no doubt causing a lot of drama and taking up the attention of every guard in the compound. Lena was now able to use this to her advantage. She took a deep breath, readied her rifle and stood up straight. She pushed the door open and ran across the street to the white building that Merle had told her about. As she neared the door, a man ran up to her, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in exasperation. 

“Ya see em? Which way’d they go?!” He asked. 

“Pretty sure most of them are heading to the gate, I saw one of them come this way though” She said as she slowly readied the rifle in her hands, taking advantage of the distant gunfire that was distracting the man’s attention.

“Hey, I think my rifle’s jammed, gimme a hand, will ya?” She said, lacing her request with just enough panic to sound convincing. As he turned to her, she jutted the rifle up at an angle and pulled the trigger. A bullet tore through the underneath of his chin and through his skull, dropping him instantly and sending a jagged, crimson blood splatter across the sidewalk as he hit the floor.

“Oops, I’m Sorry. I guess I slipped.” She sighed before bending down and dragging the body into the doorway of the white building. 

Inside, she slowly and silently climbed the stairs, reaching the front door of an apartment at the top. The fact that the entire building seemed to be completely empty was both a blessing and a curse in her eyes. She hadn’t had her cover blown yet, but why was it that Philip’s living quarters were left seemingly unguarded, especially with armed intruders roaming around. 

She tried the door, even more alarmed to find it unlocked. Feeling the need to re-evaluate her plan, she paused, scanning the hallway and stairwell for any signs that she may be walking into a trap, Merle wasn’t exactly to be trusted, she knew that much, but this was certainly worth a try. The gunfire outside continued to rage among a chorus of shouts and yells from the armed members of the community who were now banding together to try and find the intruders. Lena hoped Daryl and the rest of them were OK.  
She kept her back to the wall and her rifle readied as she entered the room. Immediately noticing the many luxuries Philip had afforded himself. Fruit bowls, alcohol, a four-poster bed, expensive artwork and comfortable looking couches. She took her time, slowly stepping around the main living area and being careful to stay away from the windows in case the locals had been trained in any kind of sniper marksmanship. Creeping along the wall, she eventually came to another door and slid her hand over the doorframe to the handle. Finding it locked, she weighed up her options. Kick the door in and risk a hell of a lot of noise or spend what could potentially be a long time searching for a key that might not even be in the apartment. She rolled her eyes and stood in front of the door, shifting her weight and raising a leg, her boot slamming against the wood above the handle. The door jolted in it’s frame and shifted back a little. She kicked at it again, and again until finally, it swung open.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and gasped loudly at the scene before her. On the left of the small room, were eight fish tanks. In each tank, were the still moving heads of Walkers. Lena was rooted to the spot, gawping at the rotten, severed heads and desperately trying to think of a reason why someone might do this. Her eyes darted from one to the other, watching the floating craniums of what was once eight people with families, jobs, lives. It was one thing to kill Walkers, but it was another to take their heads and compose a macabre exhibition like the one in front of her. 

“What the fuck is this?” She whispered to herself. 

Finally turning her attention back to the task in hand, her eyes moved across the rest of the room, settling on a large, wooden chest in the corner, behind another ornate and expensive looking couch, which faced the disgusting fish tanks. She carefully moved into the room towards the chest and crouched in front of it, finding it padlocked on the outside. She turned her rifle around and began hammering away at the lock with the gun, more than aware of the noise she was creating but feeling almost certain that if Merle wasn’t lying to her, this is where her weapons would be. Her heart jumped when the lock finally fell to the floor and she flung the lid open, breathing a huge sigh of relief. 

“Yes!” She breathed, pulling out her coat, holsters and guns and frantically fastening them to her body, placing the stolen rifle in the box as a replacement. The wound in her arm was constantly thrumming with pain, sending discomfort jolting across her shoulder and down to her fingers, she took it easy on this side, letting her good arm do most of the work. Before long, she was delighted to be fully equipped and protected again and turned to leave the room when a scraping sound from behind her caught her attention. Her head snapped in it’s direction and adrenaline spiked in her veins. The wall was adorned with a detailed, hanging tapestry and the sound had seemed to come from behind it. She threaded the hand of her good arm behind it and ripped it from the wall, revealing the iron bars of a cage. 

The smell was the first thing that she noticed. The strong, putrid odour of rotting human. She withdrew a sword and gently tapped it on the bars. She stumbled back when a small Walker slammed it’s self against the bars, sending a loud clattering noise ringing out through the apartment. She furrowed her brow as she looked at it. It’s dress pure white, clean, laundered. It’s hair recently brushed. It’s lifeless eyes staring at nothing in particular as it walked repeatedly into the bars, only held back slightly by a metal collar which was clamped around it’s neck and connected to a chain that was fastened somewhere in the back of the cage. Curiosity got the better of Lena and she looked down at the bolt lock which held the door in place. She slid the lock back and opened the door, stepping back as the Walker raised it’s arms and growled at her, something wet and heavy had obviously settled in it’s chest and bubbled away as it tried to express it’s desire to bite down on Lena’s flesh. She squinted at the chained monster before her, tilting her head to one side. Why would anyone do this? Why chain one up and hide it away?

“Didn’t think it’d be long before I found you here.” Said a voice from behind her. She whirled around, sword readied as her eyes locked on his. Philip stood in the doorway, a handgun casually pointed in her direction at his hip. 

Lena’s eyes flicked over to the fish tanks lining the wall to her right. 

“Tell me” She started “Exactly what fetish is it that you have? Is it for severed Walker heads…or little girls?”

Her comment was like a slap to his face and she saw him jolt as the words left her mouth. He lunged forward, his jaw clenched, sheer determination on his face. She saw him raise the gun and willed her injured arm not to let her down. Sucking in a deep breath, her hand moved and snatched at the small Walkers head, she yanked it in front of her and settled the blade of her sword across it’s neck. Philip froze. 

“Nah uh” She said, shaking her head. “She’s precious to you, yes?”

He held out a hand in an attempt to stop her making any more sudden movements and lowered his gun. 

“Please. S-she’s my daughter.”

 

Lena raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh.

“Really? How sweet.” She sneered. “This the whole family, right here?” She motioned to the tanks with her head. The Walker in her grasp struggled and snarled but she held on tight. 

“They remind me not to get complacent. Let go of her” He warned. 

A sly smile spread across Lena’s face as she looked him in the eyes. She could feel the desperation in his tone, the panic that was rising in him. He really did care about the rotting corpse in her hands. 

She brought her sword around to the back of the Walkers neck, her eyes not leaving his and the smile on her lips growing larger. 

“This is for Glenn.” She sneered. 

The blade slid through it’s flesh and even it’s skull without resistance as Lena pushed it through the back of it’s neck and angled it up, causing the end of the weapon to appear in the middle of it’s forehead. 

He yelled a loud ‘NO’ as he threw himself at the girl. But Lena just removed her sword and tossed the dead girl back into the cage like a bag of garbage. He flew at her, his body charging into hers and her sword falling from her grasp, before she knew it, she was on the floor, her injured arm was searing with agony. He rained punches down on her, his face twisted with rage as Lena blocked every punch with her arms and hands and made a note that he had dropped his gun. As her martial arts training kicked in, she used her legs to pivot herself up from under him, whirling them in a circle and feeling her upper body rise. She threw her forehead forward feeling it connect with his. He fell back and she shoved at his shoulders, her arm shooting forwards and cracking him in the chin with the ball of her hand. The sound was surprisingly loud and Lena realized she had more power in her than she’d first thought. As she tried to het to her feet, he caught her by her gunshot wound and wiggled a finger into the hole. Lena screamed and grabbed at the back of his head, ripping her arm away from him and sending his head crashing down onto her bent knee. 

“Arrrgghh Fuck, you BASTARD!” She yelled. 

She let go of him and he stumbled backwards, blinking rapidly and clutching his face. His eyes found hers again as she went to retrieve her sword from the floor and he tackled her, sending her skidding across the tiles. Her back slammed against the wall and knocked the air out of her lungs, she gasped and tried to stay calm, forcing the panic away and focusing on her next move. She still held onto her sword handle and as her breaths became deeper with every try, she began to get to her feet. She looked for Philip, who was now bending down to pick up his gun. 

As his fingers wrapped around the cold metal of his firearm, his back straightened and he stood upright, slowly turning on his heel and searching for Lena, ready to pull the trigger. 

At first, he couldn’t feel anything, seeing only the bright flash of cold metal pass in front of him in a split second. Then came the darkness and pain. The excruciating, unbearable pain. His hands shot up to his face and he dropped the gun again. 

The end of Lena’s sword dripped with blood as she savored every moment of watching him yell and scream at the agonizing feeling of having his eye sliced in half.  
He dropped to his knees and she placed a boot on his shoulder, shoving him backwards to the floor. As she stood over him, her sword poised above his other eye, she attempted to survey the damage but could only see a deep pool of dark blood in the eye socket that was now overflowing and pouring down his face.  
Movement in her peripheral vision distracted her and she raised her gaze to the window to see a group of five heavily armed men heading across the street towards the building. 

 

Glenn sat in the back of the truck while Maggie wiped away the dried blood from his face with a rag, he winced and shuddered as the fabric grazed across his wounds but found some comfort in his hand being tightly gripped in her fingers. 

Rick and Tyreese stood outside the truck, keeping watch and waiting for any signs that Lena and Daryl might be on their way out. Rick had tried to get some information out of Glenn, but he was so weak he had opted to give him some time to recover before forcing him into a conversation. 

“It’s been a while, Rick. We can’t wait much longer” Tyreese offered warily. 

“We can’t leave without them” Rick stated. “If we have to, we’ll hide the truck and set up in the trees. They’ll have to use this road, it’s the only one out of that place.”

“All I’m saying is It isn’t just Lena and Daryl that will use this road. They’ll probably be coming after us by now as we need to get Glenn some help” 

Rick glanced over at him, his hand resting on his Python in it’s holster as he considered their options. Tyreese watched as he turned and headed back to the truck, straining to hear the conversation from his spot on the road. 

“He still not talking?” Rick asked Maggie through the vehicles window. She shook her head solemnly and shuffled up on the backseat, bringing herself closer to Rick. 

“Everything is swelling up real bad. He needs painkillers.” She said quietly. 

Rick nodded and stole a glace at Glenn around Maggie’s shoulder. 

“Take him back to the prison, get him to your father. Tyreese and I will wait for Lena and Daryl and make our way back as soon as they get here. Luckily, Glenn left us some transport back at that store, we’ll use that.”

Maggie gave him a sad smile. “OK” She agreed before climbing out of the truck and accepting the keys from Rick. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and headed back to Tyreese as the truck started up behind him. 

 

The two men paced slowly up and down the road while they waited for any signs of Daryl and Lena. Rick had explained that they weren’t in the habit of leaving anyone behind and said he would stay there until they showed up or would even end up going after them. They saw no signs of life for what seemed like forever and Tyreese figured it had probably been at least four hours since they’d stopped on this road. He eventually settled down on a fallen tree trunk, giving his legs a well-earned rest. He was relieved that no one from the place where Lena and Glenn were held captive had appeared to have followed them out. He jumped to his feet when he caught sight of Lena running towards them in the distance. 

“Rick!” He exclaimed, pointing at the sprinting figure approaching them. Rick released a loud sigh and ran his hands through his hair. They both set off in Lena’s direction, meeting her halfway. 

“Are you OK?!” Rick asked as soon as he was close enough to hear her. She jogged to a stop, panting heavily and nodded her head. 

“Where’s Daryl?” Tyreese asked. 

Worry flashed through her mind when she realized he hadn’t returned with them. 

“I thought he was with you” She said, wiping the sweat from her brow and wishing she hadn't thought it necessary to bring a coat out in the Georgia heat. She took off the baseball cap and flung it into the trees at the side of the road. 

“We thought he was with you. He told us he was going back for you” Rick explained. 

“I didn’t see him” She replied, her eyes wide as she began to wander around on the spot, her head busy with thoughts and possible reasons why Daryl was not with the others. The thought of him being captured sent shivers down her spine. She knew Merle would never hurt him, but Philip would.

“I’m going back” She announced, turning and heading off back in the opposite direction. 

Rick looked at Tyreese, receiving a small nod from his ally and the set off, following Lena. 

 

Daryl couldn’t see a thing through the bag that had been placed over his head. Rage welled in his chest and he fought against the tie that bound his hands behind his back, the skin around his wrists now bleeding as he struggled but he felt no pain, anger masking and numbing everything else. He could hear the banging of doors, muffled shouting in the distance and the thudding of footsteps before a door near to him opened. 

“Get up” someone growled at him as they grabbed his arm. He shrugged them off and tried to stamp on their foot, receiving a hard jab in the gut for his efforts. He doubled over and willed himself to ignore the pain, sucking in a breath through his teeth. The stranger grabbed at his shoulders and shoved him up. He stumbled forwards but soon regained his balance. 

“Gonna be like a little family reunion” The stranger commented and Daryl wondered what the hell that meant as a wire was placed over his head and tightened at his throat.

 

After creeping back through the gap in the fence she had used to escape, Lena, Rick and Tyreese followed the noise of crowds chattering and found themselves outside a large barn with open sides and lit by fire torches in each corner. They crouched behind a water tank, keeping out of sight and well away from any guards but still had a decent vantage point from which to formulate a plan. 

“What the hell is this?” Rick hissed. 

Lena spotted Philip in front of the crowds that were sat on bleachers behind him. He was sat in a wheelchair, his eye patched up with heavy bandages and she pushed her lips into a think line when she reminded herself of the difficult choice she had made before leaving his apartment. Stay and kill him and be killed by his men. Or leave with her own life but also allowing him to keep his. She had chosen the latter, thinking about the recent developments in her world and how she would hate to give up the things she had worked so hard to protect. Her horse, her mules…and her recently developed relationship with Daryl. 

“All you need to know right now…” She said “Is that Daryl is being held in one of these buildings and that guy in the wheelchair needs to die.”

“Who is he?” Tyreese questioned from behind Rick. 

“His name is Philip. I’ve heard people call him the governor. He runs the place. The sick fuck keeps Walker heads in fish tanks in his apartment and his zombified daughter locked in a cage. Well, until I put her out of her misery.”

She glanced at Tyreese who was looking at her, completely and utterly baffled.

“WHAT?!” He whispered. 

 

Their attention was drawn by the crowd in the barn suddenly cheering as Philip was wheeled out into the center of the barn and spun around to face them. 

“Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you all for attending after the events of today. There is nothing to fear. We have controlled the situation and the terrorists that invaded our safe haven have been run off. But! We have captured one and he will be brought to justice on this night!”

The crowd cheered and clapped while Lena, Rick and Tyreese looked on. A rising sense of dread was gnawing away at Lena and she knew in her gut that she was about to see Daryl. He was the only one missing. 

“Bring him in!” Philip yelled as a door on the far side slammed open. Lena’s eyes followed the sound and her hear sank when she saw Daryl being forced through the door, an animal control pole looped over his head and tight around his neck as his guard kept him at a distance but controlled enough. 

 

“Oh god” Rick breathed. 

“Daryl” Whispered Lena “No”

Among the loud jeers and yelling of the people, Daryl was shoved into the middle of barn, the guard stood next to him, keeping him at a far enough distance from the governor. 

‘We have also made another discovery.” He announced. “One of our own has betrayed us!” 

Another door on the other side opened and Merle was dragged in using the same type of animal pole that was controlling Daryl. He was positioned opposite his brother and Lena saw his face drop as the bag on Daryl’s head was removed and the two locked eyes for the first time since before Merle was left alone on the roof in Atlanta. Lena’s heart ached for Daryl as he stared in disbelief at his brother and his makeshift, metal prosthetic. 

“Merle was found to be assisting in the escape of two prisoners that were both dangerous to us and in league with the terrorists that invaded our community today. Thanks to the listening ears of our guards, he was outed as a traitor and will be treated as such.”

 

Lena had heard enough. She scanned the area for some semblance of a plan. She needed a way in without being shot, a distraction to keep the guards busy and a route for getting Daryl out of there. She scurried off, keeping hidden behind boxes and ignoring Rick’s pleas for her to stay with them. Finding some thick rope in a large wooden box, she looped it over her head and headed back to Rick and Tyreese. 

“OK, I’m going up there.” She whispered to them and pointing to a hole in the roof. “Tyreese, we’re swapping weapons” 

“Woah, I’m no ninja, I’m not good with swords.” He protested. 

“Not the blades, you big oaf. The guns. Here, take mine and hand me that rifle.” She began passing her pistols over and slung the rifle across her body with the rope. The crowed continued to raise hell in the background as the Governor persisted in encouraging them. Rick could see Daryl and Merle still glaring at one another across the expanse of space between them as their guards prepared to release them from their leashes. His eyes darted around the barn when he noticed more guards entering with Walkers on the end of poles, four to be exact. Positioned in each corner of what could only now be described as an arena.

“Rick” Lena said “I need you and Tyreese to start raining bullets down on every asshole with a gun when you see me signal you from up there.”

“Alright” He said turning to Tyreese “Try not to shoot any of the townsfolk if they’re not shooting at you, we want the guards and that asshole dead. Nobody else.” 

Tyreese nodded and Lena slipped out from behind the water tank. She left the barn and studied the outside of the building for some foot holes and rungs of some sort to climb up. Her whole plan would fall apart if she couldn’t get up on that roof. Spotting a metal ladder on the far side, she walked towards it, seeing a guard standing underneath it. She reached into her sleeve, pulling out a blade and stopped a few feet away. He still hadn’t noticed her. She whistled quietly, causing him to turn his head enough for her to place a mental target on his forehead. She flung the knife, hitting him right in the left eye. He slumped to the ground and Lena sighed in irritation at not hitting her target. As she stepped over him, she yanked the knife from his eye socket and placed it back into it’s holster. The ladder wasn’t the sturdiest and she found herself having to gulp back fear as it swayed in the breeze. Her wounded arm was aching and pain stabbed away at it every time she moved it. She reached the top and peered over the edge of the roof, seeing a guard standing by the hole. She pulled the rope over her head and set it down on the edge of the roof, quietly enough not to be heard by the man stood a few yards from her. She climbed up, stood up straight and removed a bone sword. 

“Hey” She said casually. 

As she turned, she sliced a perfect clean line across his throat and gave him a sad look. 

“Sorry. Needs must.” She pouted. 

 

In the Arena, Daryl’s heart was hammering in his chest after hearing that he was going to be made to fight his brother to the death. His own brother. His flesh and blood. Preferring to let Merle kill him than being responsible for taking his brothers life, he’d decided he was better off just accepting anything that was dished out to him. The noise was deafening and everything seemed to go in slow motion as the leash was removed from his neck and he was pushed forwards towards Merle. Shouts and yells echoed through his head as he tried to get himself into a defensive stance, merle copying him and looking at him intently. 

As a fist flew at him, the over exaggerated, loud, echoed surroundings were too distracting for him to move out of the way in time and as a result, Merles hand crashed into his jaw, rapidly sending him to the ground. He spat blood from his mouth and blinked. Merle leaned over him. 

“Follow my lead, little brother” he whispered “We’re going to get of this, right now”

Daryl tried to shield his face as blow after blow hit his body. 

 

Lena was torn between a clear shot at the governor or a clear shot at the Walker that had just been released and was now stumbling towards Daryl, who was still on the floor after being pummeled by Merle and his metal arm. She flitted from one to the other, frantically trying to make a decision. This may be her only chance to kill Philip outright, but she couldn’t let Daryl perish. She swung the rifle back towards the threat in front of Daryl and steadied herself. Laying flat on her front with the rope tied around her waist and fastened to the rafter that went across the hole. She exhaled slowly and hovered a finger over the trigger. 

The Walkers head exploded in front of Daryl, his brow creasing in confusion as he looked around the room for the source of the gunfire. People began to scream and rise from their seats, pushing and shoving to make their escapes. Lena’s next targets were the surrounding guards and she picked them off, one by one until there were only a handful left sprinting about and trying to find her. She caught sight of Tyreese and Rick and waved them out, watching them open fire and mowing down every one of the governor’s men they could see. The Governor himself was now being rushed out through a side door and Lena attempted a few shots, only skimming the wheelchair. 

“Shit” She cursed. Standing up and flinging the rifle back across her body. She checked her gloves were properly equipped before jumping across the gap and landing on the metal rafter. She kicked the remaining length of the rope down into the hole and lowered herself down, her hands and boots wound around it and gripped it tightly. She bit down on her lip and gasped at the pain that emanated from her gunshot wound as she began to slide down, picking up speed the further down she got and feeling the heat from the friction in her gloves. Everything got a hell of a lot louder as she descended into the chaos and as she neared the end of the rope she prepared herself for a big jump. The rope hung around 10 feet from the ground and Lena’s knees and ankles felt the impact as her boots finally thudded onto the dusty floor. 

She looked for Daryl, who had just about managed to get to his feet and was stumbling about blindly, his face covered in blood. She ran to him, firing off a couple of shots in the process and eliminating a terrified looking man with crappy aim. 

She reached Daryl in time to see Rick backing towards them. 

“Daryl, It’s me” She said, holding out her arms to him. He grabbed at her, pulling her into an embrace and she felt the weight of him fall on her as he struggled to stand. He had been beaten pretty badly she could only guess that he was concussed. She was impressed that he was even still conscious. Hooking his arm over her shoulder, she began to search the barn for Tyreese when she saw Merle run towards her, his metal arm caked in gore. 

“Here, give him to me” He said. 

Her sword was at his throat before he could say another word as she struggled to hold Daryl up with her bad arm. Merle stepped back, tilting his head up and looking down at the bloodstained blade. 

“Easy” He said, holding his hands up. 

“Back the fuck up, shit for brains. I’ve already sliced your boss’s eye into two halves like a peach. You’ve done enough fucking damage, If you so much as touch Daryl I’ll make sure I take off the rest of your limbs.” She spat. In the corner of her eye, she spotted Tyreese. 

“Tyreese!” She yelled “Take him!” 

He ran towards her, taking Daryl from her grasp and seeing her point to the way they had snuck in. Rick looked back at her from his position at the corner of the barn, stepping back every 30 seconds or so as he tried to pick out the guards from the fleeing townspeople. 

“Lena!” He shouted “Fall back!” 

She did as she was told and followed Tyreese, Rick running close behind her. 

 

Outside the walls, they ran as fast as their legs would carry them. Tyreese, being the biggest out of the group had offered to continue to help Daryl keep moving but after a while, he had come around and was managing to keep up the pace. Lena noticed that Rick had somehow acquired Daryl’s crossbow and was wearing it over his shoulder. When they were far enough into the woods and away from danger, they stopped to catch their breath. Daryl dropped onto the ground in front of a tree, his back resting against the trunk and Lena rushed to him, lifting his head gently by hooking a finger under his and examining his wounds. He had two black eyes, a split lip, a huge cut across his cheekbone that looked like it needed stitches and his nose was still bleeding. 

“Here” She said, removing the bandana from her neck and scrunching it up into a ball, she held it to his nose to stem the bleeding and he slowly placed his hand around hers.

“I fucked up” She suddenly said, a tear escaping her eye and running down her cheek. 

“I almost got everyone killed. Glenn is hurt, you’re hurt. It’s all my fault.” She said, her lips shining with saliva as she nervously licked at them, tasting her own salty tears. 

 

A twig snapped from behind them and Lena looked over her shoulder to see Rick holding his Python to Merle’s temple. They hadn’t known he’d been following them, not one of them stopping to consider bringing him with them for a second. But he had pursued his brother. 

“Relax, officer friendly” He chirped “I aint here to cause no trouble and I’m willing to brush ma hatred for you to once side seein as ya just saved ma bacon. I just wanna see my baby brother.”

“You can see him from where you are. You did this.” Rick snapped. 

“He alright?” He asked Lena with genuine concern. Before she could answer, Daryl did it for her. 

“Feel like I got hit by a fuckin’ bus, ya asshole.” He said, taking the bandana away from his face and almost falling over as he tried to stand. Lena offered a hand and he accepted, allowing her to help him. She let go of him as he staggered towards Merle, stopping in front of him. 

“Maybe ya aint such a pussy after all” Merle joked before the two shared an awkward, manly embrace with plenty of back slapping. Lena caught Rick’s eye, who was still pointing his gun at Merle. 

“C’mon man” Daryl said to Rick “aint no need for that”

“Yes, there is” Lena cut in, her voice stern and direct. 

“Look, whatever happened, we can figure it all out when we get back.” Daryl offered. 

“He’s not coming back with us” Rick stated. 

Daryl looked from Rick, to Tyreese and then to Lena, who was giving him the same ‘I’m sorry, but that’s how it is’ look that Rick was giving him. Merle huffed with amusement and began to wander off into the trees, still staying within listening distance. Lena moved to stand next to Rick, who gave Tyreese a nod, not even needing to tell him to keep an eye on Merle, he raised one of Lena’s guns in his direction and watched him. 

“C’mon, this is bullshit. He aint gonna hurt nobody” Daryl pleaded. 

“You don’t know what he’s done” Lena said. 

“What? What ya mean?” Daryl Questioned.

While it hurt her to see him in such a sorry state, beaten black and blue and pleading with them to let him bring his brother home with him, she was not about to let Merle into the prison where there were children and Glenn was being tended to. Lena’s eyes flickered sideways to Rick and she sighed deeply.

“He held a gun to my head at the store we were checking out. I could have disarmed him, knocked him out…or killed him. But I chose not to because he knew Glenn and because of that, I found out he was your brother. I couldn’t risk him finding out where we lived. It was obvious he was living somewhere with others. He was clean, his clothes were washed, his gun was looked after and he had no bags with him. I didn’t want other, potentially dangerous people turning up at the gates because of him. So, I let him take us to that place. I was too overconfident that I could get us out of any situation. I was wrong. We were tied up and separated but I could hear…”

She hesitated, feeling Merle glaring at her from the trees a few feet away. She ignored him and carried on. 

“…I could hear him beating the holy hell out of Glenn in the next room. Then, he shot me.”

Daryl’s face changed and he whirled around to face Merle. 

“Ya shot her?! What the hell, Merle!?” He exclaimed. Merle shrugged his shoulders. 

“Was followin’ orders, that’s all. Aint nothin personal.”

Daryl ran his hands through his hair, wincing at the pain from his face and began to pace back and forth in his usual thinking routine. 

“I’m not having him living with us. We have children. Women.” Rick growled. 

“He aint a rapist!” Daryl protested. 

“I don’t want him there either.” Lena said “I’m sorry, I know he’s all the family you’ve got left, but he’s dangerous. I wanted you both to see each other again, That's the screwed up reason I didn't kill him in the first place. I know i'd give anything to see my brother again, no matter how much he irritated me. But I'm not having Merle near me or Glenn.”

Daryl huffed loudly. “Fuck”

“I hate to break up the party, but im’ma start thinkin about finding myself somewhere to lay my ass down. If y’all aint feelin charitable enough to take me back with ya. Ya comin, Daryl?” Merle asked. 

Lena felt her heart swell with sadness, knowing he was about to choose his brother over them, over her. Daryl swallowed hard and looked up into Lena’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry” He said to her. “He’s my brother”

She didn’t respond, instead she turned to Rick and held her hand out and motioned to the crossbow. He lifted it off his shoulder and handed it to Daryl. 

“Picked it up from a guard.” He mumbled. 

Daryl gave him a nod and looked back at Lena, who suddenly strode past him towards Merle, lifting both her good and bad arms and unsheathing her swords. He backed up against a tree when he saw her coming for him and she raised a sword, level with his eye, the other was carefully positioned between his legs. He sucked in a breath through his teeth and remained perfectly still. Daryl had followed her and was about to pull her away from Merle when Rick looped an arm around his shoulders and held him back. 

“No. Let her say what she needs to say.” He whispered in his ear.

“Listen to me, you shithead. Your brother is worth a thousand of you. In fact, he’s in a whole different league to you. Since he’s been away from you, he’s shown compassion, mercy, bravery, kindness and humanity to those he lives with. He’s smarter than you would ever give him credit for so you’d be wise to listen to him in the future. I should have murdered you when I had the chance but I didn't because I care about Daryl. Now, you're a shitty brother and an ever shittier human being so, If we ever cross paths again and I find out that you’ve got him hurt, or worse…killed. Not only will I give you and your ex-boss two matching eyes, I’ll slice your junk off and feed it to you. Do you understand?”

He smirked nervously at her “Damn, Little brother. Ya girl got bigger balls than you!” He laughed. “Sure, honey, I get it.”

"I'm not his girl" She hissed as she released him from the tree and re-holstered her swords. She took hold of Daryl’s wrist and pulled him away from the others. Stopping and turning to him, she shook her head in disbelief. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have broken my rule. That’s what got Glenn and I into this fucking mess. I was too busy thinking about my feelings for you. Plus, It’s not just there to protect others, it’s there to protect me from getting shit on again.” She snapped. 

“Lena…” He tried 

“Just…shut up and listen.” She interrupted. “Remember who you are, OK? Don’t let him bring you down. Your smarter than him and you have something that he doesn’t, empathy. Use it and make the best decisions you can. He doesn't deserve a brother like you and you deserve so much more than life on the road with him. Don’t sell yourself short, you’re the most genuine person I’ve ever met and I don’t ever want you to lose that. You are not him. You are you. Be _you_. Who you are now, not who you were before. Oh, and…I’m glad things never got any further between us. It would have only made this worse.”

“Don’t say that.” He said, giving her a confused look. 

“I just did.” She replied, trying to ignore the sadness in his eyes. He lifted a hand and offered her the bloodstained bandana. She took it and briefly held onto his fingers. 

“Be safe” She said before turning and walking back to stand with Tyreese. 

 

Daryl went to Rick and hugged him, hearing Merle scoff at the scene. He stepped away and moved closer into the trees towards his brother. 

“Hey” Rick said. Daryl looked over his shoulder. 

“You can come back, only he has to be dead for that to happen. Take care of yourself.”

Daryl gave Rick a polite nod “You too, man.” And then, the two brothers were gone.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for the comments and the Kudos on this story so far! I only ever write for myself and then decide to share it, so it's great to know that other's enjoy it too.  
> Things are back to being a little complicated again...

When Lena walked through the prison gates, she glanced over her shoulder at Carol, who had run to Rick, demanding to know where Daryl was. Lena decided to carry on walking, feeling no desire to have to re-live Daryl’s separation from the group. She stopped by the makeshift tables and chairs and found herself looking sadly at the floor, the weight of the events of the past few hours now weighing on her heavily. She heard Tyreese open the gate to the next block. 

“Tyreese, wait” She called out, walking to him and stopping just in front of him. He looked down on her from his towering height, a gentle giant that Lena had not expected to be such a loyal comrade. 

“You OK?” He asked. 

“Yeah. I just wanted to say thank you.” She said, awkwardly shifting on the spot. 

“There’s no need. You convinced the group to let us in, it was the least I could do.” He smiled. 

Lena stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around his big frame, he returned her hug once the initial surprise had subsided. Not expecting her to be so tactile. 

“You and Sasha not moved into the other cell block yet?” She asked, breaking away from him. 

“Not yet, Sasha really likes looking after Cleo.” 

Lena’s heart lurched. 

_Cleo_

She bolted past him, through the gate and into their yard, the grass was empty so Lena ran toward the small stable at the side. She noticed Bonnie and Clyde were at their usual posts on the fence. She crashed through the door to the stable to find Cleo peacefully nibbling on her hay. The horses head shot up when she saw Lena and she ran to her best friend, throwing her arms around the horse’s big neck and kissing the soft fur. 

“I’m so sorry I left you. I’m so sorry.” She whispered as she ran a hand over Cleo’s neck, over and over again. She felt Cleo gently sniffle at her clothes and snort softly. She let go of her and felt her mane, she had been groomed recently and as she glanced around the tidy and well kept stable, she could see that her horse had been well looked after.  
“They’re spoiling you. You’ll be expecting this kind of treatment from me now, huh?” She grinned, giving Cleo a wink. 

“See you later, beautiful” She said, leaving the horse and heading back outside. 

 

On her way to her cell, she stopped to see how Glenn was. Hershel was sat on a chair in front of the bed where he lay, the swelling beginning to subside and the usual shape of his face returning to normal. Lena stood gingerly at the door and observed Hershel wringing out a rag into a small bowl of water. He noticed her presence and lifted his gaze to her. 

“Lena. Rick said you were shot. You must let me take a look” He said, getting to his feet. 

“Yeah…how is Glenn?” She asked. 

“Oh, he’s exhausted, but he’ll be just fine. It looks a lot worse than it is. He needs his rest. Now, what do you say we go to your cell and you let me take a look at that arm of yours?” He offered, picking up his black doctor’s bag and shuffling out of the cell. Lena nodded politely. 

She winced at the pain and hissed through her teeth as she shrugged her coat off and tried to remain still as Hershel cleaned and inspected her wound. She had never been gladder to be back in her cell, sat on her bed and no longer at the mercy of anyone else. 

“You were lucky” Hershel said, the bullet missed everything important and went straight through. You don’t have to endure me digging about in there to find it at least. I’ll just stitch ya up in a jiffy.”

Lena just nodded, her eyes remaining low, scanning the small lines and cracks on the floor. Hershel could sense she carried a burden. 

“You wanna talk about it?” He asked gently, hearing her sigh deeply. 

“Thank you, but no. I just want to shower and crawl into bed.”

 

Once she was stitched up, Hershel left her to it. She showered, changed into some loose-fitting pants and a black T-shirt and perched on her bed with her back to the wall and her arms wrapped around her knees. She already missed Daryl. She was mad at him for leaving, sad for him that he had to make the choice and worried that his brother would either end up getting him killed or would turn him into a younger version of himself. She thought back to the last time they’d kissed in the stairwell of the tower, his wandering hands leaving a trail of burning desire as they skimmed over her skin, her heart almost skipping a beat with happiness at the thought of being with him and gradually being able to discover more about one another. It had all caused too much trouble and heartache but now it was all gone. It was wandering the woods with a one-armed, violent redneck who had a detrimental influence on the one man that had made her feel like she was worth something in a very long time. 

She flicked a tear away from her cheek with her fingers, sniffing back more tears and fighting to regain her composure. This was her punishment for getting too close, for ignoring her own code. 

A light tap on the bars made her jump and she rubbed her eyes with the balls of her hands. 

“Come in, it’s open” She said, hoping her face wasn’t red and blotchy. 

Carol appeared behind the drape as she pushed it aside and entered the cell. She closed the door behind her and drew the fabric back across into it’s place. She stood and looked down at Lena and said nothing. The look on her face saying it all. Lena shuffled further to the wall on the bed, making room for Carol and she stooped down and ducked under the bunk bed, settling next to Lena with her legs stretched out in front of her and her back leaned against the wall. 

They sat in silence for a while and Lena could feel it in the air that Carol was just as upset as she was as she stared at nothing in particular. 

“He’s gone because of me.” Lena eventually whispered. Carol glanced to the side at her. 

“Nonsense.” She said “He’s gone because his stupid brother has a strong hold over him.”

“His brother wouldn’t even be around if I’d just killed him when I had the chance. Then Glenn wouldn’t have been hurt and I wouldn’t have a hole in my arm.” Lena argued.  
Carol lifted an arm and placed it around Lena’s shoulders, causing her to tense with the sudden contact. 

“It is not your fault. I won’t have you thinking that. We are human, we can only do what we think is right and for the record, I think you did the right thing.” She stated, squeezing Lena’s shoulder slightly. 

A few minutes of quiet followed and Lena was beginning to relax in Carol’s company. She had never had the luxury of affectionate, supportive parents or anyone to hold her and tell her everything was going to be OK. She had always had to pick herself up and carry on with little to no help. But now, as uncomfortable as it made her at first, she was thankful for the kind words and the knowledge that Carol missed him as much as she did. 

As she thought about the look on Daryl’s face when she’d walked away, more tears began to well in her eyes and Carol looked at her when she sniffed. She drew her closer, into a full embrace. And Lena let her. 

“I miss him already” She whimpered. 

“Yeah, me too” Carol agreed as she listened to Lena cry. 

 

Over the next two days, Lena made sure she visited Glenn and sat with him for a while, immersed in useless chatter and trying to quell the guilt that was eating away at her. His face was healing nicely and Hershel was right, it did look worse than it was. On the second day, he was back on his feet and wandering around as if nothing had happened.

At first, Lena was worried that Maggie may never speak to her again after she got the man she loved hurt, but Maggie blamed no one but Merle, expressing her seething hatred for him on more than one occasion, even thought she had never actually met him. 

 

As Lena sat on the grass with Sasha and Tyreese, she watched as Cleo slowly nibbled her way across the yard, snorting half chewed grass from her nose and breaking out into a random trot whenever the mood took her. She caught sight of Sasha looking at her from the corner of her eye. 

“You’re quiet” Sasha observed. 

Lena sighed and gave her a small smile as she picked at the grass in front of her crossed legs. The sun beat down on her and the bare square of skin on her upper back above her tank top was beginning to burn. 

“Yeah” She said “Just keep thinking about what happened.”

“You mean Daryl leaving?” She asked, earning her a stern look and a head shake from her brother. 

Lena remained still and quiet, knowing that Sasha was trying to coax the truth out of her. She had remained withdrawn and kept herself to herself in the hours following her return and she had only expressed how she felt to Carol. Sasha and Tyreese were fast becoming close enough to her to be classed as friends, much to Lena’s annoyance. It was yet another blip on her radar of solitude that proved she was unable to stay away from people and keep them at arm’s length. Still, she had admitted to herself that she liked them both and enjoyed their company and while she wanted to lie through her teeth, she felt she at least owed them some honesty for everything that had done for her.  
“Yeah, I suppose that is what I mean.” She admitted. 

“You guys got close, huh?” Sasha continued, this time receiving a kick on the shin from Tyreese’s boot. She quickly pulled her leg away and gave him an angry glare.  
“It’s OK, Ty” Lena smiled at him before looking at Sasha. “Yeah, we got close. I miss him” She confessed. 

“I knew it!” Sasha said triumphantly “I knew he liked you! I saw him glaring at you all the time. Reminded me of that kid that every school has that pushes girls over and picks on them because he doesn’t know how to tell them he likes them.”

Tyreese rolled his eyes “OK, that’s enough. I’m sorry, Lena” He said sympathetically. 

But Lena had already started to giggle. “I guess that’s a pretty accurate representation. But he figured it out eventually.”

Sasha stopped laughing and copied Tyreese’s look of sympathy. “I’m sorry he left, maybe he’ll come back.” She shrugged.

“I don’t think so. He’s with his brother. You’d leave if it was Tyreese, I’d leave if it was Tyler. That’s just how it is.” Lena said sadly, lowering her gaze to the floor only to be nudged by Cleo’s nose hovering over her leg like a vacuum. She giggled softly and slid a hand up and around the horse’s head. 

“At least you’re not going anywhere, huh? You big sap” She cooed, gently kissing the horses soft fur. 

 

In the days that followed, the whole group banded together and worked to fortify the fences and gate, unsure if the Governor would ever find the prison, but not wanting to be left like sitting ducks if he did. They dismantled the metal tables in the common areas, using the tops as protective panels against the fences. Heavy wooden panels were used when they ran out of metal and guns were cleaned and bullets rationed. Guard duty was stepped up, Sasha and Tyreese stepping in to ease the burden on the others.  
As days turned into weeks, Lena’s arm was healing well, she had full movement and was developing what Carl had described as a ‘really cool scar’. Rick and Lena became like friendly colleagues, having each other’s backs on runs and discussing any decisions to be made between themselves before asking the rest of the group. Lena had become almost like a deputy to him and had even started to teach Beth and Carl some self defense skills, holding a weekly knife skills lesson in the yard. She had also worked closely with Carol, repairing clothes and making food, the two of them quietly musing about Daryl in his absence away from the listening ears of the rest of the group. Lena found Carol had continued to miss Daryl as time went on, telling her that he was one of the most frustrating people she’d ever met, but she still held a small slither of hope that we would return one day. 

 

Conversation had couldn’t have been more far removed from brotherly love for Daryl and Merle. After Daryl had happened upon a family with a baby struggling to fend of a group of Walkers on a bridge and ran to their aid, Merle had proceeded to comment incessantly about how weak he was and how he had gone ‘soft’ during his time with Rick’s group. Daryl was growing increasingly tired of his remarks and had tried to walk further ahead in an effort to drown him out but Merle persisted and after three weeks on the road eating nothing but plants and the odd rabbit, Daryl could think of nothing but Lena and he was now seriously regretting his decision. 

“Hold up, ya walking like the devil’s chasin’ ya” Merle complained. 

“He is” Daryl mumbled. 

“What?”

“Nothin” Daryl replied, stepping over a fallen tree and wiping the sweat from his brow. 

“Might have something else to eat if we’d taken what we were owed from those folks on the bridge” Merle commented. 

Something in Daryl snapped. Fueled by pure rage, he whirled around, his crossbow aimed at his brother’s forehead. Merle scrunched his face up in confusion, observing Daryl’s angry glare, his lips pushed together into a think line and his eyes locked on his target.

“The shit ya think ya doin? Pointing that thing at me!” Merle exclaimed. 

“They didn’t owe us shit” Daryl growled. 

“You helpin people outta the goodness of ya heart? Even though ya might die doing it? The hells wrong with you? Is that something your sheriff Rick taught ya?”

“The hells wrong with you?!” Daryl snapped “They had a baby for god sakes!”

“Oh, otherwise you’d have left them to the biters?” Merle rolled his eyes. 

Daryl slowly began to lower his crossbow. 

“I went back for you. Back to the roof in Atlanta. But ya weren’t there. I didn’t cut off ya hand neither. You did that. You asked for all this!” He yelled. 

“You and your Sheriff Rick are like best buds now, huh?” Merle sneered “I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that you never told him that we were planning on robbing them blind”  
“That didn’t happen” Daryl spat. 

“Because I wasn’t there to help ya”

“What, like when we were kids? Ya weren’t there either. Who left who then, huh?”

“Is that why I lost my hand?”

“Ya lost ya hand because you’re a simple-minded piece of shit!” Daryl shouted, turning his back and heading further into the trees. 

“Where ya goin’?!” Merle asked, following him. 

“Back where I belong.” Daryl muttered. 

Merle stopped in his tracks, sighing loudly and watching his younger sibling push through the trees.

“I can’t go with ya. I damn near killed that Chinese kid” He admitted.

“He’s Korean!” Daryl suddenly yelled.

Merle rolled his eyes again and looked Daryl in the eye. “Ya fine ass samurai girl is gonna slice my gems off.”

Daryl’s eyes hit the floor, this face becoming downcast and distracted “She aint my girl.” Her uttered. 

“I aint blind, little brother. She was slaughterin’ everyone in her path to get to you. ” Merle stated

“That’s because she knows about loyalty” Daryl remarked.

“Don’t you be talkin 'bout loyalty, boy! I practically raised ya.”

“No, Merle! You left! I raised my fuckin’ self!” He exclaimed, turning his back and charging off into the woods. 

 

From the day the world went bad, Lena had tried desperately to keep track of the days. If anything, to help herself feel normal and keep an eye on the seasons. In her bag, she kept a small notebook, where she noted down the day, date and year on every page, creating herself her own diary. It was entirely possible that she had skipped a day here and there and that her estimations were a little awry, but it was close enough. 

She lay on her bed on her front with the notepad open in front of her and a pen poised above the paper. She studied the date and began to draw a balloon around it. Huffing loudly and rolling her eyes, she added a small cake and a few stars to the drawing. When she’d finished her small masterpiece, she tilted her head to the side and admired her handiwork. 

A huge crashing noise from outside and Hershel yelling from the guard tower had her on her feet in seconds, grabbing her guns and leaving her small blades behind. She threw her coat on and her bone swords and sprinted out into the yard. Panic almost burst out of her chest when she saw a large truck on the grass in front of the block, the gate to the prison had been crashed through, leaving one side almost hanging on it’s hinges. Screams and yells from various members of the group could be heard shooting across the open space and Lena quieted them in her mind. Swallowing her fear and focusing on the truck as the back opened and Walkers began staggering out, their vague expressions searching their surroundings for something to rip apart and eat. At first, she saw five, then more and more. Seven, twelve, fifteen. 

Then another truck appeared and shot through the open gate, swerving and mowing down part of the fence that separated the two yards. Lena froze as she saw Cleo dart from one corner of the yard to the other, fretting and throwing her mane around. The back of the second truck also opened and released more Walkers before they both retreated back through the gate and sped away. 

Lena surged forwards and raced across the tarmac to Cleo, gunshots ringing out from around her as the others tried to eliminate the Walkers emerging from the trucks. The threat continued to move forwards up the verge and nearer to the group and Lena removed her swords with a loud ‘shing’ and began removing heads as she ran. Blood splattered the floor and fences as she whirled the blades around in her hands and continued on her quest to bring Cleo to safety. As she passed the stable, she ducked inside and retrieved the horses armor, throwing it over her shoulder and willing her legs to work harder under the extra weight. 

“Lena!” Someone screamed at her from the distance, it was a small voice, high pitched and her eyes frantically scanned her surroundings and searched for it’s source as she ran to Cleo and flung the leather, guts covered armor over her back. She hooked the chest plate into place and whirled around, still looking for the person who was screaming her name. 

“Lena! Help!” There it was again. 

“Lena!”

There. She’d spotted it. Beth was trapped in the corner of the next yard with five Walkers surrounding her and she flicked her knife uselessly at them, her knife training skills obviously not kicking in in the chaos.

“Beth! Duck under them and run into the open!” She screamed as she raced up and through the gate, rapidly closing the distance between them that unfortunately contained more monsters. She holstered her swords and took out two pistols, one for each hand. She began firing at heads, watching them drop one by one and creating herself a path to Beth, who had managed to heed Lena’s advance and swerved under the legs of the trap that was encroaching on her. 

As she passed the others, she caught sight of Carol, Maggie, Tyreese, Sasha, Rick and Glenn all in a line, firing relentlessly at everything rotting in their sights. Hershel was up in the tower with a rifle, desperately trying to aim at the Walkers closing in on his daughter and Lena assumed Carl had been ordered inside with Judith. She hoped that the others all had good enough aim not to miss one of them and hit her instead. Another gun shot wound was not what she needed right now. 

As she reached Beth, she saw her fall to the floor under the weight of a bloated and partly disemboweled Walker, it’s guts and organs leaving a thick, pungent trail of blood all around it. Her piercing screams cutting through the air and into Lena’s mind. She ran at them and tackled the Walker, toppling him from Beth and rolling him over onto the floor. She had underestimated her speed and found herself laying on top of it and having lost both guns, which had now skidded across the blood-soaked grass in front of her. Scrabbling to get up, she sank a hand into the Walkers mushy and rotting stomach. 

“Urgh. Beth, run! Go! Run to Rick!” She yelled. 

The Walker began to sit up and grab at her shoulders and she tried to move away but the fetid intestines all around her made everything she touched slippery and with every effort to get away, she just slipped back down again. She looked over her shoulder to see the Walkers gaping, rotten mouth crashing towards her. She wriggled and grunted on the spot, desperately trying to shift herself far enough away so she could kick it or reach for a sword. As she saw its face get even nearer, it’s head exploded. Blood and brain matter soaked her entire body and she blinked rapidly before sighing and rolling over the Walker and onto the floor. 

“BULLSEYE!”

The happy yell had her up and looking around in seconds, when she spotted Merle on the other side of the fence. 

“You can thank me later, sweetheart” He called out, sidestepping his way around the fence and firing off bullets into the other Walkers in the compound. 

Lena turned and raced back up the verge, her head swinging around to check on Cleo just in time to see a crossbow bolt embed into the skull of a Walker that was grabbing at her horse’s neck. Sasha and Maggie threw themselves through the gate and picked off the last couple of Walkers in the enclosure with Cleo as Lena linked her fingers through the diamond shaped holes in the remaining part of the fence, her eyes locked on the figure in the distance with the crossbow. 

 

“Stop right there” Rick said to Merle as he approached the gate. 

“Aw c’mon, Man! I saved Mad Max’s life over there and ya still not gonna let me in?!” He protested. 

Lena watched Daryl approach the gate behind Merle, his eyes fixed on her. She looked away as soon as she was able to get a proper view of him. Her heart swelled, she had missed him even more than she thought. She turned to the side and looked at the floor, feeling his gaze bearing into her soul. 

“It’s not that simple” Rick said, giving Daryl a nod. “It’s good to see you”

Daryl nodded back “You too” 

Tyreese, Sasha, Carol, Glenn and Maggie all stood behind Lena and she could hear Maggie and Glenn exchanging heated words in a hushed debate. She remained in her place, still looking at the floor, her guns clasped in her hands. 

Rick raised his Python to Merle’s face. “You’re not welcome here.” He growled. 

“Rick, c’mon” Daryl stepped forward. 

Lena listened to the heated exchange between the three men in front of her as well as Glenn and Maggie behind her and everything was getting a little confusing. She turned to Sasha and Tyreese.

“Guys, would you mind moving into the next block with everyone else?” She asked. 

They exchanged glances and both shook their heads. “No, not at all, why?” Tyreese asked. 

Lena didn’t answer, instead she holstered her guns and charged past Rick. Lunging forwards on her left leg before bringing her right fist up and dishing out a hard and effective uppercut to Merle’s jaw. He flew backwards, landing harshly in the dirt in a crumpled heap, unconscious. 

She turned to Rick, her back turned to Daryl. 

“Here’s my idea.” She said, clearing her throat and now starkly aware that she was still covered in foul smelling blood. “Tyreese and Sasha are willing to move in with everyone else. We can lock Merle in the other block. Only you will have the key. Then Daryl can stay.”

“You can’t be serious?!” Maggie cried from behind everyone, quickly hushed by Glenn. 

Rick, who was still gawping at the after effects of one of Lena’s punches, blinked at her before kicking his brain into gear. 

“Yeah, OK. But he stays locked up. We’ll see about his motives if he volunteers information about the governor, this…this had to be him” He mused. 

It was the closest Daryl had been to her in weeks. When he’d seen her through the fence, it took everything in him not to run to her and fling his arms around her. But now she seemed cold and disinterested and he wondered if anything would ever be the same again. 

She turned her back slightly, looking over her shoulder in Daryl’s direction, but not directly at him.

“If you want him here you’ll have to move him yourself.” She snapped before storming off back to the block. 

 

That night, Lena, Tyreese, Glenn and Rick had worked for hours to repair the gates and remove the bodies of the Walkers. After a long, cold shower, her bones ached and her body was sore as she sat on the stable floor with Cleo lounging at her side. The horses tail flicked back and forth as she chomped away on her food and Lena looked up and smiled at her in the light of a small flashlight positioned in the corner of the wooden shack. She cleaned the blood from her blades with an old rag and re-loaded her pistols before settling with her back against a hay bale, picking up her notebook and opening it to today’s estimated date. 

A squeak from the hinges of the door caught her attention and she looked up to see Daryl stood awkwardly in the doorway. His body positioned half in, half out of the threshold as if he was already ready to be sent away. She noticed he still had the knife holster she had made for him.

“Hey” He said quietly, bringing a hand up to his mouth and nibbling on his thumbnail. 

Lena looked away and down into her lap at the notebook. 

“Hey” She echoed. 

Daryl moved further into the stable, allowing the door to swing shut behind him. Cleo regarded him with suspicion before being soothed by Lena, who whispered to her briefly until she returned to munching on her food. 

“Ya got a minute?” Daryl asked. 

Lena just nodded solemnly, keeping her head down as Daryl sat on a wooden box opposite her. 

“How ya doin?” He said. 

“I’m not sure.” She admitted “This whole thing, The Governor, Merle. You….You and I. It’s all annoyingly complicated.” She shut the notebook in her hand and slowly raised her vision to him. He looked tired, his hair had seemingly grown longer and he looked like he hadn’t had a shower in a long time.

“I’m sorry I le-” he started

“Don’t do that. I would have left if it was Tyler.” She interrupted. 

“Naw, I was going to say, I’m sorry I left…you. This. _Us_.”

Unable to process an appropriate response, she nodded slightly and pulled a dreadlock over her shoulder, turning the small, decorative, metal, bead halfway down, around and around in her fingers. They remained quiet, the only noises coming from a hungry Cleo, making good work of her evening meal. Daryl shifted in his spot and ran his hand over his face.

“Thought about ya every day.” He suddenly said, earning a lingering stare from her. 

“I thought about you too. But mainly about how none of this would have ever happened if I’d never touched you and just stayed true to my code. I’d have killed your brother, Glenn would never have been hurt and you wouldn’t have left.”

Daryl did not like where this was going and felt himself sighing deeply. 

“Can’t say I would have forgiven ya for killin Merle. Probably would have put a bolt in ya.” He added. 

“Please, You and I both know I could take you in a heartbeat. It wouldn’t have mattered if you’d forgiven me or not. In that scenario, I wouldn’t have developed these extremely untimely feelings for you. I would have just used you for scratching my itches then stayed the hell away from you.”

“Oh C’mon!” He suddenly exclaimed “You aint that damn cold.”

“You sure about that?” She questioned, holding his stare. 

“Yeah, I am” He stated. Lena scoffed and shook her head.

He stood up and began to walk back and forth, Lena could tell he was becoming angry. She let him gradually mark a track in the hay covered floor with his constant pacing.

“Will ya get up?” He said, not looking at her and continuing his repetitive journey. 

“What? Why?” She asked.

“Just… _get up_.” He replied. “I need ya to get up.”

Lena bent her legs and began to stand up, dusting her clothing down with her hands and exhaling with irritation through her nose. 

Daryl quickly stepped towards her, grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her roughly, taking her completely off guard. For a moment, she melted into him and returned the kiss, hearing him inhale loudly and feeling the grip of his fingers on the back of her head. Thoughts of how much she had missed him whirling around in her head before she pulled away and took a few steps back, her face a mixture of stony and confused. 

“It…It can’t be like it was, Daryl. It can’t. I almost got people killed because I was too consumed by my feelings for you. It has to stop. These people brought me into their group and gave me a place to stay. I repaid them by getting one of them almost beaten to death and then the cavalry turned up with an army of Walkers. This…thing we’ve been doing, this complicated, juvenile, fooling around…thing, it will end up the way all my relationships and friendships do in this new world, with people dead as a result.”  
She saw his jaw tighten as he shot her a sad look. 

“Fine” He whispered, heading to the door.

“Daryl” She called after him, not wanting to leave things with either of them being angry. “Daryl, wait.”

He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. 

“Ya ever thought that maybe that’s all we got left? Each other? ‘cause we sure as hell aint got nothin’ else. No hope, no nothin. People die, hell they’re everywhere, walkin around with their damn guts hangin out” He snapped, his hand flying up into the air and motioning to the fence outside. 

“Maybe when ya aint so afraid of the people who’s hearts are still beatin, then ya should let me know…But I aint waitin’ around for the rest of my days for you to figure ya shit out.”

“Daryl, I-” She tried to intercept.

“Nah, I’m done with this.” He fumed, opening the door and slamming it behind him. 

Lena watched him leave before she slumped back down into her previous spot. She picked up her notebook and turned it over and over in her hands while tapping her foot on the ground. Then, she threw it. 

“Fuck!” She yelled. 

It clattered against the wall on the far side, making Cleo jump with the impact.


	17. Chapter 17

Rick caught Lena on her way back to the block. He removed his gloves and wiped his brow. Sweat glistened on his skin from having to haul the bodies of the Walkers around and his shirt was caked with blood, sweat and guts. Lena had helped them clear their yard, leaving Cleo’s to Rick and Tyreese.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news.” He said solemnly as he approached her. 

“Oh, wonderful” She replied, her voice tinged with sarcasm. 

“It looks like Clyde got caught up in the gunfire.” He placed a hand on her shoulder as she closed her eyes and inhaled. When she opened them she shook her head. 

“Ahh dammit.” She mumbled 

“I’m sorry, Lena.” He soothed. 

“I know they’re just Walkers…” She explained “But they were with me out there for a long time. Clyde, he was the one that could carry the most. He was the most robust. I guess I don’t really need them anymore anyway.”

Rick smoothed a hand over his beard and shifted his weight onto his other leg. 

“I was thinking, they did a good job of confusing the Walkers on the other side of the fence. They’re somewhat of a deterrent. So, I was wondering if you’d help us get some of our own that we could tie up along our side of the fences.”

Lena mulled the idea over for a moment or two, glancing at the fence and listening to the consistent growling of the threat on the other side of the fence. 

“I guess Bonnie could use another companion. Sure, why not.”

 

Daryl settled in Lena’s old cell, opposite the locked one that now housed his brother. He sat on the bed he and Lena had shared an intimate tryst on and examined the knife holster she had made him. Running his fingertips over the delicately engraved initials and perfect stitching. Her decision not to take what had happened between then further had left him feeling a mixture of frustration and disappointment. He hadn’t lied, she was one of the reasons he had returned and his thoughts had been consumed by her not just from the moment he had left with his brother, but from the moment he first saw her. 

Merle was smirking at him from his cell door, leaning forwards with his forearms on the bars. He had been reasonably quiet since he’d awoken from Lena’s uppercut, not surprised in the slightest that he had been locked up. 

“I know that look. That pussy makin’ ya crazy, little brother?” He sneered. 

“Shut up” Daryl grumbled. “Ya lucky ya even on this side of the fence. Keep ya goddamn mouth shut and they might let ya out before ya die of old age.”

“Ahh c’mon, don’t be shy now. I can tell she’s got ya all screwed up. Ya know how I can tell? Because ya aint ever been like this over some skirt before. Hell, I was startin to think ya was battin for the other team.”

“Jesus, Merle! Shut the hell up!” Daryl snapped. 

“Stop getting ya knickers in a damn knot. I get it. She’s pretty enough to make a hound dog smile” He admitted, flashing Daryl a toothy grin. 

“Ya shot her.” Stated Daryl, his eye narrowing at his brother. 

Merle shrugged noncommittally “She’s alright, aint she? Looked fit as a fiddle to me.”

Daryl huffed and shook his head, shuffling down on the bed and laying his head on the pillow. Silence finally fell around him and he was glad that Merle had seemingly decided to give up with his unhelpful remarks. He could hear him move back into the cell and sit on the thin mattress. Daryl closed his eyes. 

“Women, their damn fury aint like nothin’ else on this god given earth. If ya caught yaself some feelings, ya best roll on outta here n' go tell her.” Merle remarked.  
Daryl sprang up from the bed are glared at him. 

“Are ya deaf?! Shut the hell up. Done enough fuckin’ damage”

 

When Morning arrived, Merle opened his eyes to see Lena and Rick stood outside his cell. A small bag had been placed inside the bars of his cell, along with a bottle of water. 

“Get up” Rick ordered. 

Merle sat up and swung his legs from the bed, getting to his feet and standing in front of his visitors, a sly smile spread across his face. 

“We’ve left you some food and water. After you’re done, I want you to start talking. You’ll tell us Information about the governor. His men, numbers, weapons…everything.” Rick explained, his voice low and steady. 

Lena glanced over her shoulder at Daryl, asleep in her old cell. He was on his back with one arm curled above his head and the other by his side, his new knife holster clutched in his fingers. 

She turned back to Merle, who was now grinning at her, her interest in his sleeping brother not going unnoticed. 

“Sure you wanna be here?” Rick said to Lena. 

She offered him a polite nod and stepped closer to the bars of Merle’s cell, leaning on the metal with her shoulder. He had picked up the bag and was munching on a granola bar, his wide smile still beaming at her through a myriad of nuts and seeds. 

“Morning” She purred. 

He moved closer to her. 

“Between you and I, I can see why you ruffle ma little brother’s feathers. He’s got it pretty bad for ya…can’t say I blame him. I mean, Damn.” He snickered as he looked her up and down. 

She leaned in closer to him, beckoning him forward with one, curled finger. He grinned and brought his face closer to hers, flinching when he realized she was now holding a very large knife through the bars and between his legs. 

“You carry on pissing me off, and I’ll shove this right up your smart ass.” She hissed. 

“What’s goin on?” Daryl’s voice from behind her “Lena? Merle?”

“G’mornin little brother!” Merle exclaimed, ensuring to stay completely still in case a slip of Lena’s hand left him sans testicles. “Lena here was just tellin me how I can get out of this concrete box. Aint that right, sugar tits?”

“Start talking” She ordered, removing the knife and sliding it into her boot. 

She glanced over her shoulder at Daryl, his hair was disheveled and his eyes studied hers. She returned her gaze to Merle, who was now taking a long gulp of water from the bottle. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked from Daryl to Lena, to Rick. 

“This aint about no guns and supplies no more. There’s only one thing he’s gonna want from you folks now and he aint gonna stop until he gets it.” Merle explained. 

“And what is that?” Rick asked. 

Merle lifted a hand and extended his index finger slowly in Lena’s direction. 

“Her.” He said. 

“Why?” Daryl Questioned. 

“Ya girl here killed his daughter, took his eye, shot up half of his army and broke his prisoners out. He’s madder than a wet hen and I’d say he’s fixin to get to her and make her pay.” Merle said, digging around his teeth with a finger as he spoke. “He aint gonna give a damn about anything else now. If I were you, I'd have a mind to give her up.”

“What?! Naw!” Daryl huffed from behind Lena. 

“Not an option” Rick said sternly. 

“Oh really?” Merle sneered, sidestepping closer to Rick. “Ask yaself this; is her life worth more than all the others? All them women and little’uns ya got?”

“We don’t trade people’s lives, that’s not what we do, it’s not who we are” Rick replied. 

Lena remained quiet, her mind racing. She couldn’t deny that Merle had a point, all that was standing in between the governor and the others was her. A single life to trade for the lives of the rest of the group. Although the thought of marching to her own death was less than appealing, she couldn’t bare the thought of the rest of the group being put in danger because of her. 

“Maybe we should talk about this” She offered. 

“No” Daryl snapped “No way. I aint havin’ that”

“Ya dunno what ya dealin with here, little brother. The man’s a liar, windy as a sack full of farts and what’s worse, is that he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

“I don’t care, she aint going anywhere” Daryl said, looking to Rick for assurance. 

“Excuse me? I’m still here. I do have a say in this” She spat. 

“Naw, ya don’t.” Daryl argued “Rick, this is bullshit.”

“We’re not trading anyone.” Rick stated. 

Lena needed to remove herself from the situation, she headed for the door as Rick started to grill Merle about the governor’s firepower and numbers. She crashed out into the blazing sunshine, another boiling hot day in the Georgia sun. Hearing footsteps behind her, she knew who they belonged to without having to turn around. She headed for the gate, her pace increasing as the footsteps grew nearer. She grabbed the chain and applied all her weight, hauling open the heavy door. She turned on her heel to see Daryl standing behind her with his crossbow slung over his shoulder. 

“Close the gate behind me” She mumbled. 

“What the hell are ya doin?!” He cried “I’m not letting ya go, if ya try, I'm gonna have to shoot ya.”

“Relax. I’m just going to get some Walkers for Rick. To turn into deterrents for the Fences. I need to keep busy.”

He paused for a moment, studying the look on her face and attempting to judge her sincerity. 

“I’m going with ya” He said, stepping out of the gate. 

“Daryl-”

“I aint givin’ ya a damn choice!” he yelled, catching Glenn’s attention in the guard tower. He peered out of the towers door to the scene below. 

“Fine” Lena growled. 

 

As they walked along in the woods, twigs and branches snapping beneath their boots, the atmosphere between then become more and more difficult with every step. Lena kept catching Daryl looking at her and as much as she tried to push the urge away, she had stolen a few looks at him for herself. She missed the bumpy terrain of his big arms, the smoky taste of him and the shy lip bites when he was working up to saying something out of character. If the shit hit the fan and difficult decisions had to be made, the act of surrendering to the governor meant that her choice to end things between her and Daryl was the right one. She just couldn’t shake the constant pull towards him that she had wrestled with from the start. 

After fifteen minutes of Walking, they still had not happened upon any Walkers. Lena stopped and leaned against a tree, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and checking her holsters were fastened. Daryl watched her from a short distance away, through his floppy, sweaty hair. His gaze almost piercing through her skin and looking into her soul. From the corner of her eye, she saw him bite his bottom lip.

“Stop it, Daryl.” She said as she pulled her bandana out from her back pocket and fastened it around her neck. 

“Stop what?” He asked. 

“Looking at me like that.”  


He scoffed and shook his head in frustration. 

“I aint lookin’ at ya like nothin” He snapped. 

“Whatever. I know that look.”

“Aint no ‘look’, ya imagining shit”

“I told you before in the guard tower, I know what you’re thinking when you look at me like that” She said, glaring at him. Her face serious, completely un-phased by the direct nature of her question. 

His eyebrows shot up, a look of disbelief spreading across his face as his eyes darted awkwardly around at everything but her. He remembered that day very well, when she had been so forward with him he wondered if she was just saying it to get a reaction.

“Ya unbelievable” He muttered. 

“Maybe, but I’m right.” She shrugged. 

A minute or so passed and Lena set off walking again. Daryl stomped along beside her, nibbling on his thumb. 

“Telling me that aint what ya want too?” He uttered suddenly, taking Lena by surprise and resulting in her stopping in her tracks.

“I-uh…” She stammered and sighed loudly, closing her eyes and gathering her thoughts. 

“You know I do. But things are getting even more complicated now”

“Ya know what?!” He suddenly growled, Lena felt herself flinch involuntarily at his different and angry tone of voice. 

“Ya think ya got me all figured out, maybe ya have. Maybe I am lookin’ at ya like that. But I’m sick of ya screwed up view on things and being messed about and made to feel stupid, like I only got one oar in the damn water. Ya know how much I like ya…think I’m at least allowed to check ya out every now and then. It aint like I’m foolin’ around with ya and then throwin’ ya away like you’ve done with me over and over.”

Lena was gob smacked. She had never seen Daryl so forthcoming with his feelings, let alone in this irritated and exasperated way. Her eyes hit the floor, guilt and sadness welling in her chest and leaving her feeling like it might burst. 

“Ahh shit, I didn’t mean that like it sounded” He mumbled. 

“No…it’s OK. You’re right, I’m an asshole” She confessed, throwing her arms in the air and continuing to press on into the woods. 

“I wanted to come back to…to you” He said from behind her. “I dunno why, but I guess I just didn’t like not bein around ya”

Lena stopped but did not turn around to face him. Instead she placed one hand on her hip and brought the other one to her face, positioning it over her mouth while she thought for a moment. While her heart was screaming out for her to go to him, her head was building firm walls to keep out any more emotional connections. Even those she longed for having had a taste of what it could be like. 

“C’mon, I can hear Walkers up ahead” She said, setting off again. 

Daryl sighed angrily and followed after her. 

 

In a small clearing, they found themselves surrounded by five Walkers. Daryl had drawn his knife and had his crossbow poised in his other hand while Lena’s hands hovered in front of her, ready to snatch at any of her weapons should she need them. They stood back to back, kicking the Walkers back a few feet every time they approached. 

“Ya got a plan or somethin’?” Daryl asked 

“Oh, yeah” Lena replied “I was just getting to that. I’ll pick one then I need you to keep them distracted and away from me while I restrain it. Then I’ll move to another and another until we have them all floored somehow.” She kicked out at a female Walker as she finished her sentence, sending it stumbling back into a tree with a loud smack. 

“What ya gonna restrain em with?” Daryl questioned, glancing over his shoulder.

“This trip was kind of an impulsive decision. This is all I have with me” She said, holding up some fishing wire. “It'll hold if it's wrapped around their clothing and not directly on their skin. The rest, we'll figure out as we go along.”

Daryl observed the Walkers before him, two males and three females all in varying stages of decomposition and none of them particularly large. Seeing an opportunity, he raised his crossbow to one of the males that was making tracks towards him. He squeezed the trigger and fired a bolt into it’s shoulder, which shot straight through the soft flesh and into the bark of the tree behind it. It attempted to lunge at him, but the bolt held fast, pinning the Walker to the tree. 

“One down” He mumbled as Lena raised an eyebrow and shot him an impressed glance before turning her attention to the two females in front of her. She removed a blade from her right forearms holster and quickly tied the fishing wire around it, pulling the knot tight and holding it above her head by the sharp end, ready to throw as she held the rest of the unraveled wire with her other hand. One of the Walkers took another step forward and she hurled the small knife at it. The blade sank into it’s upper arm, jolting it backwards. Now Lena moved, sprinting around the two Walkers in a circle, over and over, tying the two of them together back to back with the wire before she stopped and yanked them to the floor. 

She whirled around to see Daryl lining up another tactical shot with his crossbow, jumping about in front of one Walker and trying to get a good angle, while the other snapped and lunged at him. Lena ran at it and tackled it to the ground, drawing a sword as they fell to the floor and slicing off one of it’s arms below the elbow. She was thankful there was no blood, it must have started to coagulate in it’s veins a long time ago. She heard the soft ‘thunk’ of the crossbow bolt firing into the Walker and the tree behind it with Daryl as she placed the handle of one of her swords in the gnashing mouth of the Walker below her. Its other hand grappled with her, trying desperately to pull her to one side when Daryl appeared and placed his boot over the arm, holding it to the ground. 

Lena angled the sword in the Walkers mouth and carefully slid her fingers to the tip of the blade. She removed her other sword and held it out to Daryl. He stared down at the handle before looking back up into her face as if questioning if it was really OK to use one of her precious Femur Swords. 

“Go ahead, you need to take it’s other arm off.” She said casually. 

He holstered his knife and placed his crossbow on the ground before taking the sword from her and adjusting his grip around the handle. He shook it up and down as if testing the weight for a moment and looked back up at Lena.

“Below the elbow. One, clean swipe.” She said, motioning with her head towards the Walkers arm as she held on tightly to the long, sharp blade of the weapon jammed in the Walker’s mouth. 

Daryl lined the blade up with the target area and brought it down quickly, slicing the arm off in a split second. He looked at the blade again and then back up at Lena. 

“Nice” He nodded in approval. Offering her the weapon back.

“Keep it for a minute, I need a piece of wood from a tree, as thick as you can find.” She said.

He turned and began scanning the trees, quickly checking on the other Walkers in the clearing, which were all still writhing around trying to free themselves, but to no avail. Spotting a thick branch low enough down on a trunk, he swiped at it with the sword. Chopping a large chunk from the base, He hit at it over and over, wishing the blade had some kind of serrated edge. When the branch finally fell, he looked up at Lena.

“Now chop the end off and hand me the thickest part” She said, nodding down at the wood on the floor. He did as she asked and handed her the thick, rounded log of wood.

“Hold the blade as still as you can for me, down here” She said, gesturing with her hand to halfway down the weapon which was now juddering in the Walkers jaw. Daryl gripped the cold metal and tried his best to hold it as still as possible. 

“Ready? 1…2…”

On three, she slammed the wood down onto the pointed blade, feeling the Walkers Jaw crack under it. She tilted her head to one side, examining her handy work as Daryl continued to hold the sharp blade in his fingers.

“Alright” She said “Let’s get to work. Take your hand away” 

He removed his hand and stepped back, watching in awe as she took hold of the makeshift wooden handle, pressed down as hard as she could, forcing the femur handle further into the Walkers mouth and bringing the wooden end towards her. She kicked the blade forwards. An almighty crack echoed around the clearing as the Walkers bottom jaw detached from its skull.

“Ok, that’s one!” She sighed triumphantly as one of the Walkers pinned to the tree trunks managed to struggle free, leaving half of it’s shoulder still fastened by the crossbow bolt. It lunged towards Lena, it’s teeth bared and it’s arms grabbing her. She was about to land a hard kick to it’s stomach just as Daryl jumped at it and sank his knife into the base of it’s skull. 

“Aaaaand then there were four” She mumbled, removing her sword from the gory mess of the Walkers broken jaw below her. 

“You’re welcome” Daryl grumbled. 

“Keep an eye on this one” She ordered, moving to the next Walker, also pinned by a bolt. 

This one was unable to move as much which for Lena was an advantage. She made quick work of removing it’s forearms and had yanked the bolt from the tree and thrown it back to Daryl before he could even ask if she needed any help. As the Walker stumbled towards her, she merely kicked a foot out in front of it and watched it stumble and fall. When it hit the floor, she grabbed at it, turning it over and shoving the femur handle between it’s teeth. Positioning herself in the same place as she had done previously, she put her weight on the sword at and angle and kicked at it. This one took two attempts but heralded the same results. Now, they had two. 

As Daryl watched the two newly prepared pets, Lena walked slowly around the two remaining female Walkers who were tired together with the fishing wire. Removing their arms had been the easy enough part, but she needed to get to their jaws at just the right angle without eliminating them or getting herself bitten. 

She placed her sword between her boots and pulled up as hard as she could on the wood fastened to the sharp end. It came off easier than she’d anticipated and she took a step back to steady herself. The Walker nearest to her was now frantically opening and closing her mouth, wide enough for Lena to slap the bit of wood into it and use the handle of her sword as a hammer, crashing it down onto the wood from the top one, two, three times until something snapped loudly. She gave it one more hit before the Walkers jaw swung around underneath it’s head like a piece of laundry flapping in the wind. 

She repeated the process with the final Walker, taking her time and tossing the jaw over her shoulder, hearing it clatter against the woodland floor. 

“OK, I have something to lead these two with, you’ll have to take off this guys belt” She said, pointing to the male Walker at Daryl’s feet.

He huffed in annoyance and began rusting around the corpses midriff, tugging on it’s belt and finally freeing it while Lena tied the end of the fishing wire that held her prisoners to her utility belt. She led her Walkers, albeit slowly and having to keep pushing them away from her, across the small clearing to him. She took hold of the one loose one, who was now trying to snap at her with it’s useless, gaping hole of a mouth. 

Daryl fastened the belt around the male’s neck and heaved it to it’s feet. It immediately went for him, it’s rotting stumpy arms grappling at nothing. He angrily pushed it away, his face twisted into a disgusted and irritated expression. When his eye met Lena’s she was watching him with a smirk, the thought of him wandering along with a Walkers who's pants were around his ankles serving as a great source of amusement.

“What’s so funny?” He said.

“Nothing” She answered “We’re one leash short.” She tilted her head to the one remaining free roaming Walker, who was bumping against Lena’s hand which was clasped around it’s white and yellow sundress at the front.

“Ya got any ideas?” He asked, inching forwards and raising a hand at the back of the Walker to stop it turning and throwing it’s self at him. Lena bit her lip and sighed loudly.

“Maybe. Hold onto her” She said, gently pushing it back into his grasp. 

Lena threaded her arms around her back and her eyes rolled up as she concentrated on unhooking the clasp of her bra. She wriggled an arm inside her tank top and then back out again, taking hold of the strap on her other shoulder, she slinked the bra out from the arm hole and held it out in front of her. 

Daryl’s eyes fixed on the black lace garment being dangled in mid-air. His eyebrow raised and he scoffed.

“Ya kiddin’ me, right? Ya gonna make it wear your bra?!” He questioned. 

Lena rolled her eyes and stepped forwards, hooking the elastic shoulder strap over the Walkers head and holding the end of the clasp out to Daryl. 

“Here, I already have two dogs.” She said bluntly as she turned and tugged on the fishing wire that entwined her two Walkers together. They shuffled along behind her, growling and gurgling as she made her way back through the trees. 

Daryl ran his thumb over the lace that was clamped in his hands as he walked. Both of his Walkers seemed to be calming down as they covered more ground and were providing him with less problems than Lena’s who having been tied together, kept falling over one another’s feet and had to be scooped up from the floor every ten minutes.

“Hey” Lena called back to him “That’s my favorite bra. I’d prefer it if you didn’t break it, OK?”

“I know I’d rather break it tearin’ it off ya” He muttered to himself. 

“Huh?” She stopped and looked back at him, her lip curled up in confusion.

“I said I’ll try not to break it before I give it back to ya” He lied.


	18. Chapter 18

Back at the Prison, Lena took the male Walker from Daryl and tied it next to Bonnie in Cleo’s yard. The large horse sniffed at the new arrival, stepping back every time the newcomer tried to grab at her. Comfortable in the knowledge that the new Walker couldn’t hurt Cleo anyway, she returned to Daryl and the two of them worked together to spread the remaining three, female Walkers along the fence. When they reached the bleachers at the top of the yard, Carol was grinning back at them from a seat at the top. Lena climbled up and sat beside her while Daryl planted himself at the bottom, lighting a cigarette.

“Smart” Carol chirped

“Yeah, Rick asked me if I’d help get more Bonnies and Clydes” Lena said. 

“We managed to get rid of the ones outside the fence with all the gunfire yesterday. Hopefully this will keep them from gathering in their droves.” Carol agreed.

Lena cast her gaze at Cleo’s yard, Bonnie was gently swaying back and forth with her usual blank expression, while her new companion thrashed around and kept trying to stagger off. The other Female Walkers in their yard were also mirroring the same behavior. 

“Well, I guess we’ll see how the Powerpuff girls do overnight” Lena quipped, hearing Daryl let out a small laugh. “I’ll see you guys later” 

She stepped down the bleachers, offering Daryl a small smile as she passed him and not being graced with much of a response apart from a steady glare. 

 

“Tell me you’ve spoken to her” Carol purred as she climbed down to sit next to Daryl. 

“Tried” He grunted, blowing smoke from his nose “She’s so damn complicated” 

“So are you” She said, nudging his arm and smiling. 

Daryl took another drag on his cigarette and pondered if it was a good idea to tell Carol what had been said between him and Lena. She might be able to shed some light on Lena’s disappointing decision, but he knew it wouldn’t really change anything. He knew Lena’s reasons for not wanting to continue whatever it was that was happening between them and he couldn’t say he didn’t understand.

“She aint lookin’ to get close to…me. Thinks it’s the reason why Glenn got hurt and the place got attacked.”

Carol nodded thoughtfully and looked out to the fences as she spoke. 

“She was devastated when you left. I’d never seen her like that.” She stated plainly, seeing Daryl look at her from the corner of her eye. 

“She was?” He asked. 

“Yes.” She replied quietly.

“I came back because I belong here…and for her.” He admitted. 

Carol placed a hand on his knee and squeezed it gently. Daryl never flinched at Carol’s touch, the two of them understood and trusted one another and Daryl had been given no choice but to get used to Carol’s frequent displays of affection towards him, for fear of running off the only true friend he had ever really made.

“You want my advice?” She asked. He nodded subtly and looked sideways at her through his hair as he flicked his smoke across the yard. 

“If you like her as much as I think you do. Don’t give up. You might find she surprises you.” She gently kissed the top of his head before stepping down and making her way into the block. 

 

Lena had gone back to her cell to pick up some clean clothes and her towel before heading to the showers. She removed her weapons, carrying only a pistol in her belt and took off her necklace with the intention to place it safely on her pillow. But the chain had snapped and the ring tumbled from it, pinging off the floor and rolling under the bed. 

She cursed loudly and got to her knees, reaching underneath into the darkness and looping the ring over her finger. She dragged it back out and sat up, studying the mottled silver surface. Deciding to keep it somewhere safer, she zipped it into one of the pouches she usually wore around her leg and picked up the broken chain. She had no idea how or why it had suddenly broken, having been perfectly fine through all manner of taxing situations in the past. She stood and wrapped it around her finger, the broken ends swaying as she moved and intended to pass it on to Beth if she could figure out how to fix it. 

Passing the cells belonging to the others, she nodded in acknowledgement at Hershel, then to Glenn and Maggie. As she approached the steps, she caught sight of Daryl. He was facing away from her, shirtless and rummaging through a messy pile of clothes on the top bunk. 

Her eyes widened at the sight of the massive, risen scars that crisscrossed his back. The macabre pattern forged deep into his flesh. She was rooted to the spot unaware that she was gawping at him with her clothes clutched in her arms. Her skin prickled and a shiver ran down her spine as she wondered where on earth they might have come from. 

She slowly stepped forwards, approaching the entrance to the cell. He still hadn’t seen her. 

“Daryl” She said softly. He quickly looked over his shoulder at her before pulling out a shirt from the pile and shoving it messily over his head, yanking at the edges and unravelling it to cover his back. 

“What ya want?” He snapped angrily. 

“Where did you get those scars?” She blurted out, not intending to sound so blunt and intrusive. 

He turned his body so he could see her and lowered his head, keeping his eyes locked on her through the greasy strands of his hair. 

“Aint none of ya business” He growled, remaining completely still. 

Lena sighed to herself and nodded. 

“Yeah, You’re right. I guess I don’t have a right to ask anymore. I’m sorry” She said, stepping back and turning on her heels. 

“Lena” He called after her. She stopped and looked back at him. 

He held up a small notebook in his hands. Her notebook. 

“Sasha found this in the stable the other night. Is it yours?” He asked.

“Yeah, it’s mine” She nodded. 

“What is it?” He questioned, opening the book with both hands and flicking through the pages. 

“When I was alone, I tried to keep track of the days. So I knew what seasonal weather I was going to have to contend with.” She explained. 

“Smartass.” He said, stopping at a certain page. “The last entry, what’s this?”

He held up her balloon and cake doodle and she felt a flush of embarrassment burn under her cheeks. 

“Uh…I think it was my birthday. The day of the Walker attack. When you came back. I mean, I can’t be 100% sure. I guess we don’t have Birthday’s anymore anyway, right?” She shrugged, giving him a small smile. 

He just grunted in response, handing her the notebook. She held out the hand with her necklace entwined in her fingers and gratefully took it from his grasp. 

“Thanks for today.” She said awkwardly. “For helping me. I don’t know why I thought doing that alone was a good idea, there’s no way I could have brought four of them back by myself. I appreciate your assistance.” She said politely. 

His eyes flickered to the broken necklace in her hand and then back up to her face before he lifted the corner of his mouth, the rest of his face remaining stoic. 

“No problem” He mumbled, leaving out the fact that he had only really gone to make sure that she didn’t go and hand herself over to the Governor. 

She backed away, keeping him in her sights before turning and heading down the stairs. Daryl noticed she had dropped something and moved to pick it up from the floor. He held up the broken silver chain as it glinted in the light and went to stuff it in his pocket, remembering he had something else in there. He quickly glanced around, checking that no one else could see him and ducked back into the cell, pulling Lena's lace bra from his pants pocket and running his thumb over the enticing fabric.

 

That night, Daryl sat in Lena’s old cell opposite Merle fiddling with something small and metal in his hands in the beam of a flashlight that he had balanced on the table. His breathing was steady, his face fixed in concentration and tiny beads of sweat adorned his dirty forehead. 

Merle lay on his bed, removing his makeshift prosthetic from his arm and looking down his nose at his brother who had been quietly working away for around half an hour. 

“The hell is that ya tinkerin with over there?”

“Lena’s necklace.” Came the muffled response, a small pair of pliers clamped between his lips. He removed them and carefully snipped off the excess wire that he had used to fix the link. 

“God damn, that bitch got you all at six’s and seven’s. Not even getting laid and ya fixin her shit.” Merle laughed. 

“Yeah, well I aint like you. Only doing shit if it means there’s something in it for you.” Daryl said, holding the necklace up and examining his handy work. 

“Aint that sweet.” Merle chirped as Daryl placed the necklace into a piece of fabric he had ripped from an old shirt and folded it up. 

“Shut up” He spat as he got to his feet and grabbed his crossbow. He slugged it over his shoulder and left the cell, making his way to the exit. 

“Daryl” Merle called after him. 

Daryl stopped and looked back at his caged brother. Merle was looking at him with something he couldn’t quite place, his eyes were softer somehow, his expression sympathetic. 

“Careful, boy. Ya fallin for her.” He warned. 

 

Lena and Rick stood in the guard tower overlooking the yard as the sun went down. Hershel and Beth were gathering food from the vegetable patch and Carol was feeding Judith on the bleachers. Cleo ran around on her patch of grass in between Glenn, Maggie and Carl who were playing catch and throwing a ball over the horse while Tyreese and Sasha watched from outside the stable. Lena giggled at the animals surprising confidence when around other people. She had been nervous and distrusting when they had arrived, but now seemed to be comfortable in her new home and welcomed human interaction. The light laughter and pleasant atmosphere meant that Lena had almost forgotten there had been a worldwide wipeout of most of the human race. 

“Looks like they’re working just fine” Rick observed as he watched the three female Walkers Lena and Daryl had fastened to the fence. “Good job. Although you didn’t have to go right away like that”

Lena leaned on the railings and adjusted the large rifle that hung about her shoulders. 

“I figured it was as good a time as any. After what Merle said this morning, I just needed to get away. Daryl came with me though. That’s why there’s four. These three down there…” 

She pointed to the females swaying blankly by the fence.

“…Those are the Powerpuff girls and this guy…” 

She left her spot and stepped further around the tower so she could see Bonnie and her new friend. Rick followed her with an amused look on his face. 

“…Is Ronnie, as in Ronny Kray of the Kray twins.”

Rick grinned at the smug look on her face. 

“Bonnie and Ronnie?” He asked, trying to suppress a laugh.

Lena allowed herself to laugh at the situation and looked back at the game of catch going on below. 

 

Rick had stayed in the tower with Lena for around an hour, discussing what to do with Merle and not coming up with a solution other than to leave him where he was and let his brother tend to him. Lena had mentioned his fighting capabilities and that they may need him when the governor decided to show up. Rick had expressed his concerns about Merle potentially betraying them but Lena had pointed out that he now had something to hold onto and that was his brother. 

When Rick departed the guard tower, he was replaced by Carol, who had decided to take Judith on a little trip around the prison. The baby happily gurgled and chirped in Carols arms as she drew up a chair and relaxed in the fading evening light. Lena paced back and forth with the rifle, occasionally using the scope to magnify the distance. She stopped beside Carol and huffed. 

“I need to ask you something” She said. Carol looked up at her, squinting in the orange glow from the sun. Lena sat down on the chair next to her, balancing the gun on her knees. 

“I was walking past a cell earlier and Daryl was in there, looking through some clothes. I never knew, but he has the most violent looking scars on his back. I asked him how he got them and he told me it was none of my business. Have you seen them? Do you know what they are?” She explained, all too aware that she was treading on dangerous ground by going against Daryl and asking his best friend something so personal. 

Carol thought for a moment, the short wisps of her grey pixie cut hair blowing in the light breeze. 

“Yes, I have seen them.” She sighed sadly. “Before we got here, we were living on Hershel’s farm. My daughter, Sophia went missing. Daryl was out for days looking for her. He was relentless, determined to find her. He came back one day, covered in muck and blood, wearing string around his neck with Walkers ears hanging from it. We thought he was hallucinating. One of our group at the time thought he was a Walker himself. So, she shot him. Luckily the bullet just grazed him but he passed out from exhaustion. I helped get him into a bed so Hershel could keep an eye on him. That’s when I saw the scars.”

Knowing that Carol obviously did not have a small girl by the name of Sophia with her now, Lena assumed that Daryl had never found her.  


“I’m sorry about your Daughter.” She whispered. 

“Thank you.” Carol replied “He never told me where the scars are from and I never asked, because I already know. I’ve seen first hand how marks like that can be made.”

Lena didn’t know what to say. Instead of replying, she sat back in her chair and chewed her thumb nail. 

“My guess is he’s not telling you for two reasons. One, He’s ashamed of them. Two, you’re pushing him away from you. If I’m completely honest, he was right. It is none of your business, at least not now.” She warned, hoisting Judith up further into her arms and planting a soft kiss on the baby’s forehead. 

Lena remained in her seat while Carol stood and maneuvered around the chair. She had almost become a beacon of advice and a shoulder to lean on for Lena, like the mother she wished she’d had her entire life. Carol looked down at her as she went to step inside the tower. 

“The sad truth is, people will die if you’re with Daryl or not. You are simply not important enough in the world to be the one that controls anything beyond how the both of you feel about each other.”

Leaving Lena with a pearl of wisdom, she was gone. 

 

As night drew in Glenn had turned up to take over guard duty and Lena had retreated to her cell. She lay on her bed, immersed in a light sleep and enjoying the peace that the nights seemed to bring inside the prison. The noise of the Walkers was drowned out, there was little sound form anyone else as they all remained safe in the knowledge that they were being watched over by the guard on duty and protected within the cold, stone walls of a building that once housed criminals but now was a haven for survivors. 

She jolted up and out of her sleepy haze when she felt someone sit on the side of the bed. Her heart jumped and her eyes snapped open to see Daryl, gingerly perched on the mattress at her side. 

“Relax, it’s just me” He said.

“Jesus, Daryl!” She gasped, sitting up and hugging her knees. 

“Sorry” He muttered. 

“Were you watching me sleep?!” She probed. 

He screwed his face up “Naw! I only just got here.”

"You should have knocked" She complained. 

"I did, you were sleepin'." He argued.

He watched her as she gently rubbed sleep from her eyes and took the tie from her hair, her dread locks and thin braids falling loose and cascading along the top of her back. 

Daryl held out the small piece of fabric that contained the necklace. 

“Here” He mumbled. 

Her eyes darted from his down to the fabric square and up again.

“What’s that?” She asked 

“Just open it” 

She took hold of the tiny object and gently unwrapped it, revealing her necklace. He could see her confused expression as she stared down at the jewelry. 

“Ya dropped it. I fixed it for ya. It aint great, but if you wanna wear that ring, it’ll hold just fine.” He shrugged.

Lena’s mouth dropped open as she slowly held up the chain in her fingers, noticing the tiny repair job and marveling at how neatly it had been done. 

“It’s late but... Happy Birthday” Daryl said. “Sorry I couldn’t get ya somethin’ better.”

Lena remained transfixed by both the fixed chain and Daryl as she stared back and forth between them, her mouth still open. It was a simple gesture, a kind thought that she never would have expected from him. In the confined space of the bottom of her bunk, she could see him looking right at her, into her eyes. 

“Would ya just say somethin’? Shit. I aint good at this stuff.” He huffed impatiently. 

The comment snapped her out of her trance-like state and she blinked at him. 

“Daryl, I don’t know what to say.” She admitted, the memories of the day he had found out exactly who the ring belonged to whirling around in her head. He had still chosen to fix the chain so she could wear the ring around her neck, despite knowing it’s sad backstory and that it belonged to her husband.

“Thanks would be a start” He half smiled before chewing on his bottom lip. 

“Of course. I’m sorry, I’m just a little surprised. This is…wonderful. Thank you so much.” She smiled, the chain gripped in her hand.

He looped his finger through the thin silver and it unthreaded in her hand. Shuffling closer to her, he opened the chain and lifted it up. Lena ducked her head slightly, looking down as Daryl placed it over her head and lifted her hair through it. He let go with one hand but delicately threaded it around her neck with his index finger and thumb on his other hand, stopping by her collarbone. Her hand shot up and clasped his and she looked up at him seeing him tense and his jaw tighten. 

“Why did you do this?” She whispered. 

He swallowed hard. “Just ‘cause ya don’t want me no more, it don’t mean I don’t think about ya.”

She sighed, lowered her head and closed her eyes, her lips grazing over his fingers underneath hers. It saddened her to hear that he thought she didn't want him, she wanted to tell him that she did and that her decision was in no way a reflection on him. 

“I know I’m hurting you.” She uttered. “I’m a grenade. I destroy everything in my wake. Please just let me go. I don’t want to do this to you anymore”

Daryl leaned closer to her and lightly kissed her forehead. Her skin tingled and she felt tears building up behind her eyes. 

“Alright” He sighed, taking his hand away from her and standing up. 

She let out a loud breath and sniffed back tears as Daryl Left the room. 

 

Two days after Daryl had fixed Lena’s necklace, she watched from the Guard tower as Hershel pottered around outside the fence, collecting what he said were certain flowers he could use for medicine. She had kept the big rifle trained around him as he worked, ensuring that no Walkers would get too close and so far, he had managed to sneak around undetected. Tyreese had volunteered to go out with him and keep watch, while Sasha remained on the inside of the fence, ready to create a distraction if they needed to draw the Walkers away. A solid plan, Lena thought. What could possibly go wrong?

Rustling from the trees soon caught her attention and she raised the rifle, peering through the scope just in time to see a group of heavily armed men emerge from the trees. Panic spiked in her veins as she whistled down to Tyreese and Sasha, who much to Lena’s dismay, were now being held at gunpoint. She readied the rifle and tried to count the men, reaching 9 before they all began to move around. Hershel was suddenly nowhere to be seen and the men were retreating. Tyreese and Sasha began screaming and shooting in their direction, only to be met by gunfire with twice the ferocity in return. They ducked for cover and Lena thought twice about shooting into the trees, knowing by now that the men had taken Hershel and not wanting to hit him by accident. 

When the shots died down, everyone had spilled onto the yard and were running around below crying and yelling. Maggie and Beth were beside themselves and Lena could hear their strangled cries from the tower. Rick motioned for Lena to join him at the bottom. She raced down the stairs, flinging the door open at the bottom and finding Rick stood right in front of her, Daryl behind him. 

“They took Hershel” She gasped, trying to steady her breath from racing down the stairs so quickly. 

“How many?” Rick asked 

“I’m not sure. Definitely more than 9. They were armed, well-armed. Came out of the trees.” She explained. “They were gone before we could do anything.”

“C’mon, Im’ma go after ‘em” Daryl declared, spinning around and walking to his bike. 

“Wait” Lena called after him. “We don’t know where they’ve taken him or exactly what we’re dealing with here.”

“I know how we can find out” Rick grunted as he whirled around and started for the other block. 

 

“Where will they take him?!” Rick demanded as Merle calmly picked at his teeth, occasionally grinning back at Rick with a satisfied air about him. Lena and Daryl stood behind Rick, growing more and more frustrated at Merles lack of willingness to provide information. 

“Ah-ah” Merle quipped. “Ya want intel, ya gonna have to make sure I get somethin’ out of it.”

“Dammit Merle! Why ya gotta be such an asshole?!” Daryl snapped as he began pacing angrily back and forth.

Rick shifted his stance and rested a hand on his pistol. 

“What do you want?” He sighed.

“I know what he wants. Besides a bag of meth and a prostitute” Lena intervened, linking a finger through the metal keyring on Rick’s belt and holding up the bunch of keys. 

“His freedom.”

“Hah! Look at that! Bingo! Little lady knows me better'n I know myself!” Merle cried. 

Lena looked at Rick, giving him a slight nod, an unsaid agreement passing between them as she reached for her bone swords and withdrew them over her shoulders. Rick took the key to the cell and unlocked it, stepping back to Let Merle out. 

As he emerged through the doorway, Lena placed a sword at his throat. 

“Now start singing, bitch” She growled. 

 

Merle had told them that the chances of it being another group, unrelated to the Governor were slim to none. The amount of firepower, strategy, numbers and the general look of the men pointed straight at a kidnap and they would surely be taking Hershel straight back to Woodbury, where the Governor still resided. Daryl had made Merle promise him not to hurt anyone and not to get himself into trouble along with Rick warning Daryl that if his brother did break his promise, it would be him that got the blame. 

When Rick and Daryl left the block to form a plan with the others, Lena and Merle were left facing one another, no bars to separate them this time. Her words remained gripped tightly in her hands. 

“Answer me something” Lena said. “If I turn myself in to him. Will he let Hershel go and leave this place alone?”

Merle snorted with laughter at her. 

“Ya can’t be serious. Ya gonna hand yaself over on a plate? That’s suicide.”

“Will he let Hershel go and leave this place alone?” She repeated, loudly and more stern the second time. 

Merle’s face dropped. 

“I can’t say for sure. Pretty good chance that all he wants is the pleasure of seein’ your pretty head on a pike. Like I said before though, if his lip’s movin’, he’s lyin’, so I wouldn’t be trustin’ no deals or bargains with him.”

Lena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them, she started for the door. 

“Hey” Merle called out “HEY!”

Lena stopped in the doorway, her back to him. 

“Girl, c’mon now, I can’t let ya go.” He whined.

She slowly turned her head and looked over her shoulder at him. 

“I would just love to see you try and stop me.” She challenged.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing the end of this one. :)  
> I'll pick up mistakes as I proof read, just wanted to get it posted. Let me know what you think!

She had managed to kiss Cleo goodbye and slink out of the gate and into the trees without anyone noticing her, whoever was now in the guard tower must have been looking the other way and the remaining members of the group were in the cellblock deciding their next course of action. 

With all her weapons attached to her body and her Bandana pulled up over her mouth, she started through the dense forest, following the road and making sure she was as quiet as possible.  
She thought of Cleo, her best friend in the world who now had a group of people willing to look after her and make sure she was safe. Then she thought of Rick and the others, how without her, they could carry on with their lives without the threat of being attacked by the governor. But there was also Daryl, who made her heart literally ache every time he crossed her mind. The quiet, moody, multilayered archer who had not only completely taken her by surprise with how sensitive and thoughtful he could be but also with how much she found herself caring about him. 

She pressed on through the trees, taking care not to break into a run. As much as she didn’t want to be stopped by any of the group, she had to conserve her energy for the long walk ahead. 

Daryl had crashed back into the other block to get Merle only to find the entire place empty. He searched every cell and room in the block before running to Cleo’s stable which was also empty. He ran back to the others, by now he was sweating and breathing heavily. Rick stood up as everyone else look at him come falling through the door to the block. 

“They’re gone” he panted. “Merle and Lena, they’re gone.”

Rick quickly walked up to Daryl and grabbed his arm, turning him away from the others. 

“Now I’m going to ask you this once and once only and I want an honest answer.” He said “Would your brother have taken Lena to The Governor?”

Daryl studied Rick’s furious face, almost hesitant to reply. 

“I-I dunno” He stammered, not wanting to think the worst of his brother but not actually knowing if he would just toe the line instead of crossing it.

“Daryl” Rick hissed, growing even angrier. 

“I-I guess maybe he did. I dunno! Climb down outta my ass! I’ll go after ‘em. They can’t have gotten far.” He offered. 

“Lena is probably the most capable fighter out of us all, she can’t have gone quietly.” Rick added, staring Daryl down. “He better not hurt her. I warned you that this would be on you if he screwed up.”

Daryl inched further to the door “I’ll find em, alright?!” He said before he ran off in the direction of his bike. 

 

Lena had arrived at as Gas station. She was thirsty as hell and decided to stop and check the place for a can of soda or a vending machine. A few abandoned cars littered the station and dust was blowing in the breeze, coating every surface in a light brown layer. Grateful for the bandana covering her mouth and nose, she headed inside, tapping the door frame with a sword and waiting for a moment.  
Shuffling and banging inside was her signal to shift into a defensive stance, she readied her sword and waited. An almost fully decomposed Walker trundled out of the door, only a thin layer of skin covering its bones. A few strands of hair were still attached to its head and its rotten smell stung Lena’s nose. 

Before it could even turn its head to see her, Lena brought her sword up and slammed it through the Walker’s chin, the sharp tip appearing at the top of it’s skull. She withdrew the weapon and stepped back as the disgusting corpse fell to the floor. The smell on the inside of the building was slowly seeping out through the open door and she wondered just how long the thing had been trapped in there.  
She stepped inside, the shelving was empty except for one or two useless items. She checked the fridges, all empty. Stepping over some fallen bookstands, she rounded the counter and spotted a can of cola under the cash register, partially hidden by a box. She jumped at it, swiping it from the shelf and cracking it open. The fizzy liquid felt amazing as it ran down her throat despite it’s warmth. She jumped when the door slammed. 

Merle was stood on the other side of the store. Lena rolled her eyes and took another swig of the cola. 

“Ya know ya have to go back to the prison, right?” He said, walking towards her. 

She laughed slightly and shook her head. “And I suppose you’re here to make sure of that?" 

“Brains and beauty” He replied. “I can’t let ya do this” 

Lena scoffed loudly and stomped out from behind the counter, leaning against it from the front. 

“So all of a sudden you care about me?” She levelled her eyes at him. 

“Naw” He said “I care about my brother.”

“I can’t stand by and watch everyone put in danger when all that psycho wants is me. Daryl will be safer if I do this. They all will.” She crossed her arms I defiance. 

Merle glared at her and suppressed the urge to shake some sense into her. 

“I aint gonna let ya destroy my brother”

“I’m not, I’m saving him.”

“To hell with ya backwards thinkin’ girl! He’s in love with ya!” Merle snapped.

Lena froze, her lips parting slightly as if she was trying to say something, but nothing happened.

“Ya don’t know dip shit from apple butter do ya?” He smirked. “He loves ya but he aint gonna admit it. Not while ya playin’ him like this. But I know. I know him. He aint never been how he is now over anybody else. I watched him fix ya little trinket, concentratin’ like hell on something that might just make ya happy.”

She remained still and quiet, now sucking her bottom lip into her mouth and dropping her gaze to the floor. 

“He always was the sensitive one. If ya give a damn about him, you’ll head back now.”

She holstered her sword and lowered her head, closing her eyes and seeing the look on Daryl’s face when he had awkwardly handed her the necklace that he’d fixed. She took a deep breath.

The sound of trucks pulling up outside interrupted her imaginings and Merle lunged forwards and pulled her to the floor, clamping a hand over her mouth and pulling her back behind the counter. The two of them scrabbled around the floor, stopping under the cash register just in time to hear the Governors voice ring out across the gas station. The sound of dozens of heavy boots thumping along the ground told Lena that there were as many men here as there were back at the prison when Hershel had been taken. 

“Merle Dixon! I know you’re in there. Why don’t you just come on out now and we’ll deal with our differences like men?” Philip’s voice was authoritative, laced with a hint of quiet, controlled rage. 

Merle let go of Lena’s face and grabbed her arm. 

“Go around the back, they must have the doc with them. Go get him and run like the wind. I’ll distract ‘em” He whispered. 

“No, Merle. He’ll kill you.” She protested. “We can do this together”

“Dammit girl ya aint so good at bein bossed around are ya? Do as I fuckin tell ya and skidaddle!”

“Merle, I-”

“Fuck sake, Lena. Go! Go back to Daryl.” He hissed. “I’ll be right behind ya”

“If you don’t come out, we’re coming in” The Governor warned. 

“He don’t know ya here. Must have just seen me. Now go!” Merle pleaded. 

Lena grit her teeth and went to turn and crawl to the back door when Merle’s hand lowered to hers. He gripped it tight. 

“Hey” he said, his face suddenly dropping. 

“I aint been the best big brother, but I did my best by him. I’m proud of him and for what it’s worth…I think he did real good with a woman like you. I’m sorry I shot ya.”

Lena squeezed his hand back and pulled her bandana down, giving him a small smile. 

“We’re even. You come back to the prison and you can tell Daryl whatever you want, yourself. Good luck.” She said, letting go of his hand, pulling her bandana back up and scurrying on her hands and knees to the back door.

 

As she left the building, she scanned the area, the back was completely clear and she was able to creep into the treeline without being seen. Realising her white tank top would mean she stood out against the trees, she quickly looked around for something to camouflage herself with. Finding a soggy patch of mud under a fallen tree branch, she dragged her fingers through it and wiped it all over the white of her top and along her arms. Thanking her lucky stars that she had opted for desert camo pants, she set off in the direction of the back of the trucks as she saw the men start to retreat inside. 

Hershel could be seen sat in the back of a pickup, his hands and feet tied and gagged by a piece of fabric harshly shoved into his mouth. He had been tied to the tow hook on the back of the vehicle to prevent him from trying to escape. Two guards stood either side of the truck as Lena peered through the trees from her position crouched behind a rock and weighed up her options. She estimated that she had roughly no more than a few minutes to kill the two guards, cut Hershel free and scarper into the woods without being seen. 

She looked down at her mud covered body and took a deep breath before standing up straight, withdrawing both blades from her forearm holsters and stepping out of the trees into the direct vision of the two guards. They flinched when they saw her standing there with a silent confidence, a knife clutched secretively in both hands and her eyes flickered from one to the other. They pointed their guns at her.

“Woah, what the fuck?! Hands up lady!” One of them said. 

“Where the hell did she come from?!” The other asked. 

Her lips curled into a sinister smile as she levelled her stare at them both.

“Hands up? OK” She grinned. 

The sound of the blades hitting the flesh was the sound of quiet satisfaction to Lena. She had practiced her knife throwing so many times and still found herself making mistakes, but this time both of her targets were floored in a split second. One taking a blade to the throat and the other right in the middle of his forehead. 

Lena listened as the one with the throat wound glugged and spluttered, bright red blood seeping across the floor and pooling all around him. She stepped towards him and ripped the blade from his throat, failing to avoid the sudden fountain of blood that followed. It soaked her clothes and splattered on her face and she flinched and shook her head before stepping to the other guard and taking the other blade from his head. 

Stopping briefly to scope out what was happening in the distance, she could hear nothing but the eerie hum of conversation. Turning her attention back to Hershel, she climbed up onto the truck and used one of the blades to cut him free of the ropes that bound him. He gasped when she removed his gag and she placed her hands on his shoulders.

“C’mon, let’s get you home” She said. He nodded frantically and gladly accepted her help to climb down from the pickup. She quickly swiped one of the rifles from the guards and slung it over Hershel’s neck.

 

In the cover of the trees, she ducked down to the ground, grabbing more mud and began to paste it all over Hershel. Once he’d realized the purpose of the bizarre act, he began to help her. 

“They’ll realize you’re gone soon and they can’t see us for shit if we cover up anything white or clean. Plus, it helps camouflage us from the Walkers to some extent” She explained. “Only use that rifle if you have no choice. It’s noisy as fuck.” 

Hershel gripped her shoulder.

“Thank you, my dear.” He said. 

When she had checked that his clothing no longer contained anything bright, they set off in a light jog through the woodland. Lena wishing that when she turned around, Merle would be running along behind them. 

 

The gas station looked deserted to Daryl, but he could see recent tire tracks from trucks left in the dust along with a lot of boot prints. He had left his bike hidden in some bushes just short of the turn off. Glancing to his left, he saw two dead men, both completely bled out on the floor. One was beginning to reanimate, having been killed by a neck wound. 

He figured he may well be hot on the trail of Hershel and his kidnappers over Merle and Lena but they all had to be found, so he headed across the forecourt to the pumps, holding his crossbow raised in front of him. As he neared a pump, he kicked a bucket of sand next to it and waited as the sound travelled around him.

The dead man from behind him sat up and got to his feet. Daryl whirled around and cast his gaze over the Walkers now dead and pale expression. It’s eyes now devoid of any color. He fired off a bolt into it’s head and jumped at a growl from behind him. 

From the stores doorway, Merle staggered out and stopped in the blazing sunshine. His arms swaying by his sides and his face glaring hungrily at Daryl. His skin was pallid, almost translucent and his chin was covered in blood, as if he had been eating something still alive. A gunshot wound to his chest stood out on his white vest.

Daryl lowered his crossbow and felt all the air drain from his lungs. His stomach became heavy and his mouth fell open. 

“No…” He whispered, finding it difficult to stand upright. Tears welled behind his eyes and began to gasp for breath. 

“No, no, no, no!” He cried, salty drops now escaping and running down his cheeks. He stumbled about on the spot, his crossbow swinging uselessly by his side as Merle began to move closer to him. 

“Aww, fuck. No Merle, no…” He whimpered. 

Merle lunched at him, his teeth snapping as Daryl shot a hand out and shoved him backwards, sniffing back tears and struggling to see through his blurry vision. Sadness clawed away inside him and seemed to hit him in huge, crashing waves. 

Another jolt at him from Merle and he pushed him back once more, causing him to fall backwards and fall to the ground with a thud. He immediately tried to get up as Daryl withdrew his knife from his holster. He held the knife up and sank to his knees, pulling himself along the floor with one hand until he was level with his brother. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, sinking the blade into Merles eye. He pulled it out and drove it in again and again, stabbing furiously at his turned brother’s face.

"Son of a bitch!" He yelled. Years of anger and sadness pouring out into a series of violent and intense motions.

Eventually, he sat back and dropped the knife. His tear stained face turning away from the devastating scene before him. He drew his leg up and rested his arm on his knee. His face buried in the crook of his elbow. 

 

Lena and Hershel had been walking for hours and the Doctor was beginning to show signs of dehydration. He was slowing and stumbling easier than before so Lena lifted his arm and draped it over her shoulder. 

“I’m OK” He assured her. “I don’t need help”

“Don’t be stubborn, we can’t afford it.” She stated, taking some of his weight as they carried on. 

“Did you hear them say anything when they took you?” She asked. 

“Yes. They were taking me back to Woodbury. He was going to attempt to bargain with Rick. You for me. Although I doubt he is the type of man to keep his word.” He explained.

“Yeah, starting to see that now.” Lena agreed. 

“Did you follow him out here?” He questioned. 

Lena paused for a moment, the gravity of the situation suddenly hitting her. Now she had taken back his bargaining chip, killed two of his men and made a fool of him, he was bound to be hopping mad by now.

“I came to get you back. Then I was going to hand myself over to him. He only wanted me. For revenge. I didn’t want the others getting hurt.” She admitted. 

She felt him let out an amused snort. 

“I hope you know that he would have come for us all anyways. He still will.” He said. 

She sighed and tightened her grip on him when he stumbled again.

“Yeah, I know.” She mumbled. 

 

Rick waited anxiously at the gate for any sign of anyone that had left the prison in the last few hours, they were beginning to lose the light and he knew he would have to put together yet more people to go out and search if there was no news soon. 

“Rick! I can see Daryl’s bike!” Glenn shouted to him from the guard tower. 

Rick listened and sure enough, the low rumble of Daryl’s Triumph could be heard in the distance, getting louder and louder. 

He grabbed the chains for the gate and hauled it open as the bike came into view around the corner. To his dismay, Daryl had returned alone. The bike roared through the gate and up the hill, stopping at the top. Daryl dismounted it and left his crossbow fastened to the front as he began to charge towards the empty block that once contained Merle’s cell. 

“Daryl!” Rick called after him. He jogged after him, annoyed that he seemed to be being ignored. 

‘DARYL!” He boomed from behind him. Daryl stopped the other side of the gate to the yard and half turned towards Rick as he came to a stop. 

“Did you find anything?” Rick asked. 

When Daryl didn’t respond, Rick knew something bad had happened. In the dwindling light, he could see his face was puffy and his eyes were red. He looked down at his bloodstained hand. 

“What happened?” He asked, his tone of voice now softer. 

“Found Merle…turned” Daryl mumbled “He’s dead. No sign of Lena” 

With that he began to walk away, Rick moved after him and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him once more. 

“I’m sorry, man” He said sincerely. Daryl nodded slightly and went into the cellblock alone. 

 

When the prisons fences came into view, Lena almost cried with happiness. The longer they were wandering the woods, the longer they risked getting caught or eaten by Walkers. Lena had found herself having to get rid of at least ten on the journey back, but it wasn’t as much of a problem as getting Hershel back in one piece and without him fainting from dehydration. As they stepped from the trees into the area around the fence, she saw Glenn whistle and signal to the others that he had seen something. He gave her a wave and she returned the gesture. 

When the gates opened, Rick and Carol were stood in front of them and Maggie and Beth were running down the hill. Lena unhooked Hershel’s arm from her shoulders and he caught her hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing the back of it. 

“You will never know my gratitude” He said. 

“No need” She smiled

Maggie and Beth ran at him, enveloping him in their arms while Rick and Carol gawped at Lena, covered with mud and blood, her face barely recognizable under the coating of crimson red that painted her forehead and bandana. She looked around, seeing some of the others at the top of the hill before looking at Rick. 

“Where’s Daryl?” She asked.

“Uh…Lena…Daryl...” Rick started. His expression panicked her and she sucked in a breath. 

“Is he alive?” She found herself asking. 

“Yes” Carol intervened. “He’s in your old cell block.”

“Lena, he discovered you and Merle were missing, so he went after you. He found Merle turned” Rick informed her.

She was unable to stop the tears from falling as her breathing became rapid and she closed her eyes. 

“Bastard said he would be right behind me” She said under her breath. 

“Tell us what happened” Carol demanded. 

“I-I went to get Hershel, and then I was going to give myself up.”

“Merle didn’t take you?” Rick asked. 

Lena looked confused. “No, he followed me and found me at a gas station. He tried to stop me. He said Daryl…” She trailed off for a moment, collecting her thoughts and not wanting to disclose to anyone what Merle had told her about Daryl. 

“…The governor turned up with his men and Merle said he’d create a distraction. He said he would be behind me. I should have stayed. I should have made sure….He- he must have killed him. The Governor killed him. I got Hershel off the back of one of the trucks and we left.”

Carol glanced at Rick with a worried look.

“Hopefully he’ll head back to Woodbury to regroup and buy us some time now his plan was foiled.” Rick suggested.

“He’s going to come for us all eventually.” Lena warned. Her tears creating lines in the dried blood on her face.

“Is he OK? Daryl?” She squeaked to Carol.

“No. He’s alone in there. He won’t even talk to me. Maybe you should try” Carol suggested. 

Lena nodded sadly and slowly walked to the block. 

 

Inside, Daryl was in the cell that had confined Merle. He sat with his back to the wall on the bed and hugged his knees. His face was wet from his private sobbing. Lena quietly stepped into view and lowered her bandana. Daryl looked up and she saw his eyes widen slightly. 

“You’re alive.” He whispered. 

“Yeah” She replied “Can I come in?” She asked, gesturing to the door. He shrugged and she took it as a yes. Inside the cell, she sat on the bed in front of him, her body slightly turned to face him.

“I need to tell you what happened” She uttered, looking up at his pained face. 

“I went to give myself in. To the governor. I was trying to protect everyone. I stopped at a gas station and Merle showed up. He’d followed me.”

She saw Daryl lift his head as he realized that his brother hadn’t forced her to go anywhere after all. 

“He was trying to stop me, trying to talk me into coming back here. The governor must have seen him go into the gas station because he turned up with all his men and Hershel on the back of his truck. Merle…he um, he said he’d create a distraction if I went out back and got Hershel and headed back here.”

Daryl didn’t respond when she stopped talking. He just watched as she batted a tear from her face. 

“He said he would be right behind me.” She said, her voice cracking. “I’m so sorry, Daryl”

He sat forward, crossing his legs under him and taking her hand. He squeezed it, ignoring the mud caked all over her. 

“It aint ya fault.” He said. “The others, they thought he’d taken ya. Had me believin’ it too.”

She shook her head straight away. “No. He did no such thing.” She sniffed “I think he did the right thing. The honorable thing, putting himself in harms way like that so Hershel and I could escape.”

When she looked up into his face, he was completely blank, staring into space and statue still. She shifted back on the bed so her back was against the wall and tugged gently on his hand. His head snapped around to look at her and she gently pulled his hand to her again. Letting it go, she threaded her fingers under his upper arm and pulled him to her. He didn’t fight it, instead choosing to fall into her embrace and moving closer to her so he could rest his head on her chest, where she felt every single one of his shoulder muscles move as he was wracked by sobs. His tears dampened her mud stained tank top and he gripped onto her waist like he would fall if he didn’t hold on. She stroked his hair and buried her face in the top of his head. 

He wept in her arms for what seemed like forever, but Lena didn’t care how long it took. She wanted him to be OK and she wanted him to stay with her so she could watch over him. When he finally fell silent, she felt him shift and he sat up, moving back and sitting next to her. 

“When I found him…It was like all those years of rage just over flowed. I was mad at him. Mad at him for leavin’ me with our ol’ man as a kid, mad at him for choppin’ his damn hand off and not bein’ on that roof when I went back for him, I was mad at him for runnin with the governor and I was mad at him for getting himself killed.” He mused, wiping a hand over his face. 

“He told me that he knows he wasn’t the best big brother, but he always did his best by you.” She offered. He huffed quietly and nodded.

“Daryl, he did manage to convince me to come back. He told me something else” She spotted his hand resting on his thigh and curled her fingers around his. He looked sideways at her but she avoided his gaze, unsure if she wanted to see his reaction to what she was about to tell him. 

“He said he was there to protect you…” She started, struggling to find the right words. “He knew that if he let me go to Woodbury, it would destroy you. He said he knew you and he could tell…” not feeling brave enough to finish the sentence, she paused to take a deep breath. 

“Tell what?” He pressed. 

“That I mean something to you” She said, choosing not to reveal the exact words that Merle had used. 

After a long hesitation, Daryl finally spoke.

“He was right” he said, earning a small smile from Lena.

“He said he thinks you did good…with me. Although I’m not so sure what that’s supposed to mean.”

Before he could say anything else, she let go of his fingers and shuffled off the bed, standing up and shrugging off her swords. 

“I need to take a shower and get some rest. I’m exhausted. Are you staying here?” she asked, looking down at his slightly bemused expression. She had cut the conversation short for a reason and Daryl had to admit he really wasn’t in the kind of emotional place to be discussing their non-relationship.

“Yeah. Not really feelin’ up to socialisin’.”

“OK, I’ll see you later.” She smiled sadly at him, leaving the cell. 

 

Thankful for the prisons cold showers, she watched as the mud and blood flowed down the drain as she stood under the water fully clothed. She began peeling off one item of clothing one after the other, gradually becoming accustomed to the temperature of the water until finally, she stood under it, naked and staring at nothing in particular. The events of the last few hours flashed through her mind and she wished she could erase some of them, thinking that amnesia wouldn’t be such a bad thing at that point. What she didn’t want to erase was her choice to come back, her choice to listen to Merle and come back to Daryl and for the first time in a long time, she was excited to see what was around the corner for them both. 

It must have been around midnight when Lena silently passed into the cellblock where Daryl remained alone. She was wearing a long black gypsy skirt and an off the shoulder black sweater but still had her blades strapped to her, not wanting to be too far away from them with the imminent threat of the governor’s wrath. 

She looked into Merle’s cell to find it empty and wandered over to her old abode. The much bigger cell with the bigger mattress that wasn’t a bunk. A candle cast a soft glow over the room. Daryl lay on his back with his arms draped above him on the pillow, he was facing away from her but she could tell he was sleeping by the steady rise and fall of his chest. She leaned against the door and watched him, taking in the muscular terrain of his arms, his flat, toned stomach and his messy hair that seemed to grow longer every time she looked at him.

He was still wearing the holster she had made him, in fact, she had never seen him take it off and he wore it with the initials proudly displayed on the outside. She knew that Carol was right, the world was a terrible place now, people were going to die no matter what and her need to control everything had to stop. She was not the overseer of everyone’s fate, nor was it her job to worry about who death decides to take next. As long as she always did what she thought was right, her conscience was clear. Merle had helped her see that her actions were bigger than herself, but that she was focusing on the wrong thing. She had spent so much time worrying about keeping everyone alive, she had forgotten how to live and in turn, had forced the same thing upon Daryl. 

She moved into the cell and gently sat down on the bed beside him. There was enough room for her to slide down and lay beside him and he appeared to be in such a deep sleep, no doubt from being emotionally exhausted, that the chances of him waking were slim. 

She opened her eyes, unaware that she had fallen asleep herself, the candle was still alight and she sighed in satisfaction at the thought of being able to lay here next to him. She turned her head to the side, surprised to find he had turned over and was now facing her. Still consumed by sleep, she decided not to wake him and returned to looking at the ceiling. 

As time passed, she toyed with the idea of telling him exactly what Merle had told her but was wary of pushing the situation. She did, however have to talk to him and waited patiently for him to wake of his own accord. 

She was sat in the chair across the cell reading a book under the candle when he finally woke. She heard him groan and looked at him over the pages. He was slowly sitting up and rubbing his eyes with one hand. 

“How long have ya been there?” He asked sleepily. 

“Not long” She lied, not wanting to come across as creepy. “I was hoping you and I could talk. What with this impending war I thought sooner rather than later.”

She closed the book and placed it on the table behind her. When she looked back at him, he was watching her with his head tilted to one side, his eyes grazing over her body, taking in her unusual choice of clothing and the way her hair had been left to hang about her face. It was longer than he remembered and the small beads and braids had been removed. It was now just a mixture of soft, straight brown hair and thin dreadlocks. 

“What?” She said

“Sorry…ya look real pretty” he said bashfully and surprising himself with a seemingly confident delivery of a compliment.

Lena giggled and felt slightly annoyed at herself when she felt her cheeks flush pink. 

“Thank you” She replied. 

“I aint great at talkin, ya know that. ‘specially not right now” He warned. Rubbing his hands together and yawning. 

Lena nibbled her bottom lip for a moment before closing the gap between them and gliding over to stand in front of him, her long skirt grazing the floor as she moved. She looked down at him and raised her hand, moving a few strands of hair from his eyes. He gazed up at her with adoration, wishing he could touch her, kiss her and do all the things he’d wanted to do to her while this whole back and forth dance had been going on.

“Merle was mad at me at the gas station. Because I couldn’t see what he did when he looked at you. He said he knew and that’s why he followed me.”

“Knew what?” Daryl asked. 

Lena’s lips moved but made no sound as she tried to answer the question. Daryl slowly stood up on front of her and took hold of her wrists at her side. 

“He knew what, Lena?” He tried again. 

She moved closer to him, her chest now pushed against his as he lowered his head, his forehead meeting hers. Her wrists almost burned with his touch and she could feel that all too familiar tensing of his muscles as she touched him.

“That you’re in love with me.” She purred before she gently pressed her lips to his.

He loosened his grip on her wrists as he decided weather or not to return their kiss. But there was really no question, he had missed her so much and giving into her was easy. He ran one hand up her leg, over her skirt and stopped at her waist, sliding it around to the small of her back while the other one threaded into her hair at the side of her face. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, hearing her moan subtly and noticing her fingers on both of her hands were now feathering along his jaw line. His breathing became deeper and more rapid as their kiss intensified. He pulled away slightly to gain his composure, feeling his cock hardening in his jeans. She placed a hand around the back of his neck, encouraging him back to her as her lips crashed back to him and they found themselves smiling into their kisses. He moved back and sat on the bed, his hand running up her leg under her skirt and over her hidden holsters. Her skin prickled as his fingers ticked up and over her thigh where he stopped and gently pulled her towards him. She lifted the skirt up and straddled him on the bed, his hand not leaving her leg, now his thumb grazed her inner thigh and she hummed with pleasure as she covered his lips with small kisses. 

Lena’s heart, for the first time since before Daryl had left, was happy. She was with him again, being touched by him, kissing him and being shown just how much he had missed her. She struggled to see why it had taken her this long to realize that Daryl was right when he said the world wasn’t going to fall apart if they were together, because it already had. 

Daryl was now rock hard and he knew Lena could feel it, but he didn’t care. She was here now and he was finally able to be with her again. In the back of his mind, he knew he would eventually have to address what Merle had told her, and that made him nervous. 

She sat back and smiled at him in a lust charged haze.

“Dixon…I want my bra back. I know you still have it.” She whispered. 

He laughed and dipped his head, resting it on her shoulder as he waited for the embarrassment to subside. 

“I was gonna give it back” He said, lifting his head and kissing her collar bone. “Honest”. His lips moved down her chest as he slid the strap of her top down her shoulder, licking and devouring along the top of her breast.

“Daryl Dixon, I know you’re trying to distract me from the fact that you’re a crappy liar.” She laughed. 

“Hmm?” He hummed as he savored every minute of his work on her chest before stopping and looking up at her. Their eyes locked and the sexual tension between them was becoming unbearable. 

“I-” Daryl started, before thinking twice about what he was going to say.

“What?” She uttered 

“Nothin. I don’t wanna sound like an asshole.”

She leaned down to him and nuzzled the side of his face as his hands roamed over the burning flesh of her thighs, lifting her skirt up further. She rotated her hips slightly, grinding down on him as she rubbed her nose on his. He closed his eyes and grunted. 

“It’s OK, tell me” She urged. 

His eyes opened slowly and he licked his lips, his fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs.

“I really wanna fuck you right now” he breathed.


	20. Chapter 20

Daryl had never been the sort of guy to take the lead with women. He had always shied away from instigating anything, be it conversation or anything more. His previous encounters with the opposite sex consisted of drunk women from dive bars and the occasional cast off from his brother. Never really believing he was worthy of anything more, his pursuit of Lena had both surprised him and left him with a sense of pride. Here she was, straddling his lap with her toned, sexy legs and kissing a trail over the skin of his neck and it still felt too good to be true. 

Lena leaned back and blinked at him in disbelief before biting her lip and failing to avoid blushing slightly at his admission. She dropped her vision slightly and ran her index finger down the middle of his chest. 

“Oh yeah?” She asked bashfully, finally catching his eyes again. 

In the time he had known her, he had seen her blush a few times. It had been subtle and fleeting, but it was there and internally it turned him into a wreck. He loved seeing her vulnerability and her shy smile set against a background of a strong, experienced and composed woman.

“Ya got no idea” He replied quietly, his fingers still gripping the flesh of her thighs. 

“Oh I think I do" She breathed, feeling the increasing warmth of his arousal under her and tilting her hips back and forth slightly. She studied his eyes, smiling at his intense, craving expression. 

“I love the way you look at me when you want to fuck me.” She whispered, tracing her fingertips along his jaw line and over his lips. He continued to ache underneath her, his eyes dropping to her chest, her breasts and her slim waist. She linked a finger under his chin, lifting his head and kissed him roughly. He groaned into her mouth, almost unable to withstand the teasing and she gasped at the sound of him coming undone.

“Lena, are you in her-Oh my god!” 

Carols voice shattered their moment as Lena looked up to see her stood on the other side of the bars. She leapt from Daryl’s lap and quickly pushed at her skirt, covering her legs as she saw Carol turn her back and place her hands over her face. Daryl scurried backwards on the bed, his back hitting the wall and his knees drawing up in front of him. 

“Shit” He hissed.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…” She said “...Um…I’ll leave”. She started towards the door. 

“Carol” Lena called out, leaving the cell and following her. She stopped by the main door and Lena caught her eye, biting the inside of her check, she could feel her face turning a deep shade of red, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Carol peered back at her though a badly stifled grin and motioned with her head for Lena to follow her into the walkway outside. 

Lena obliged as her face continued to rage it’s quiet inferno. Stopping in the small, narrow area, Carol finally let a giggle out and shook her head at Lena. 

“I’m delighted for you but I did not want to see that” She laughed, taking Lena’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. 

Lena rolled her eyes and nodded. 

“Yeah, we weren’t expecting company. You probably should have whistled or something on your way in.” 

The two women continued to laugh before Carol hushed and became more serious. 

“How’s he doing?” She asked, referring to Daryl’s grief over his brother. 

“I’m not sure.” Lena admitted “He was angry at Merle when he found him. I think he’ll carry some of that around for a while. He did get some sleep which is good. Now… he’s got me as a distraction.”

She shifted awkwardly on the spot and fiddled with the sides of her skirt as she spoke.

“Merle told me Daryl is in love with me.”

“Of course he is. That’s obvious, Lena.” Carol scoffed. She gave her a soft smile and glanced back at the doorway to the block Daryl was in briefly. When she looked back at Lena, her face had gone back to its usual color. 

“I’m glad you stayed with him, he needs you right now. I suspect he has a lot to learn about relationships, but I am certain there is no one else he’d rather learn from. Anyway, the reason I’m here is because Rick has asked if you’d sit in on a meeting with the others. He wants to lay down a plan for when The Governor shows up. I was going to ask Daryl too, if he was up for it”

“Yeah, sure. Give us a few minutes.” Lena replied. 

“OK, I’ll see you there…when you’re ready” Carol said, giving Lena a small wink and walking to the exit. 

 

Daryl was still in the same defensive and withdrawn position as he was when she’d left to follow Carol. His arms were clamped around his knees and he watched her as she walked past the bars and entered the cell. She found herself unable to hide the smile on her face as she approached the bed and sat down next to him, turning her body so she could see him. 

His heart was fluttering in his chest and he was shocked at just how uncomfortable it made him feel that they had been caught in such a compromising position. 

“That was close” She uttered, running her tongue over her lip ring and keeping her eyes trained on him. 

Something in her big, green eyes was calming him and he felt his shoulders relax as she smiled at him. 

“Hey, you alright?” She asked, shifting closer to him and kissing his bicep as he hugged his knees. She kept her face where it was and looked up at him, relieved when she saw his lips curl up at the sides and he nodded. 

“Ruined the moment, huh?” He finally said. 

“We’ll have plenty more moments, Daryl.” She assured him “I mean, that’s if you’ll have me.”

“Always” He whispered sincerely. 

She gently tugged on his arm, encouraging him to open it to her. He lifted it and allowed her to wriggle next to his body, sliding a hand over his stomach and nuzzling her face into his neck. He stroked her elbow with his thumb.

“Rick wants us to sit in on a meeting. The governor could turn up today and we’re not prepared. You good for that?” She questioned. 

“Yeah, I’ll be alright. Aint gonna pass up the opportunity to kill that psycho.” He growled. 

He felt her nod against his neck and moved his other hand across to her hair, running his fingers through the soft strands at the front and grazing the skin of her cheek. They stayed in the same position for a couple of minutes, listening to the faint rhythm of each other’s breathing and both replaying the sexually charged events that occurred before Carol has walked in on them. 

“I wanna see ya later” He said, breaking the silence. “Alone”

“I’m sure I can manage that.” She smiled. She lifted her head and kissed below his ear before jumping from the bed and tilting her head to the side, motioning for him to follow her. 

“C’mon” She encouraged. 

He got to his feet and collected his crossbow from the table on the way out of the cell. Lena had almost reached the door when she suddenly stopped and span around. She grabbed a fistful of Daryl’s shirt at his chest and slammed him into the wall. His back spiked with pain but it was short lived when he saw the determined and intriguing look in her eye. 

“Woah” He grunted.

She licked her lips, locked her eyes with his and slowly journeyed her hand from his chest, down and between his legs. Feeling him flinch slightly, she curled her fingers around the bulge in his pants and applied a small amount of pressure. His hips slowly tilted into her and she heard him draw in a sharp breath. She spoke slowly but clearly, making sure he listened to every word.

“Now it’s my turn to be honest” She breathed. “I want you to moan, I want you to gasp in my ear and tell me how much you want me. I’ll make you beg for me when I grind on you so hard it’ll make your muscles clench and your jaw drop. I want to kiss your neck, bite your ear, wrap my tongue around you until you can’t take it anymore. I want to tease you, make you shake, fuck you until you can’t feel your legs. I want to feel you inside my body, moving, pulsing, making me scream. I want to feel you for days afterwards, reminding me who I belong to. I want you to bend me over, pull my hair, squeeze my throat and tell me I deserve to be punished. Fuck me like you hate me then give me the power back. I’ll whisper that I want you to cum for me as I drag my nails over your skin. Sooner or later, it’ll happen and this…this is how I want you.”

She kept her hand completely still while she kept eye contact with him. The connection between them so strong it kept them pinned there by electric, invisible chains. His eyes were dark, brimming with lust and his mouth was hanging open. Sweat was beginning to glisten on his forehead. The sensation of him pulsing in her hand was starting to drive her crazy. Reluctantly, she let go and he exhaled loudly when she stepped back. 

“God damn” He panted, running a hand over his face and leaning back on the wall, gathering his composure. 

This was an entirely new and extraordinary experience for him, no woman had ever spoken to him like that and never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that anyone would desire him at all, let alone to such an extent. 

Lena watched him with a raised eyebrow and a sense of achievement. Her little speech having had more than the desired effect. She wanted to wind him up and turn him on. She wanted to show him exactly how much she had thought about it and how much she wanted him. 

“Uh…” He tried, followed by a loud sigh. “I-uh…”

“Speechless. That’s what I was going for.” She announced. “C’mon, we have work to do”

She walked off to the exit, leaving Daryl still reeling from such a seductive moment. He hoped she had meant every word and couldn’t wait to give her what she wanted. 

 

The group had gathered outside the adjacent block and were pouring over plans to collect more guns and ammunition along with more materials to reinforce the fences and the gate all over again. 

Lena wandered back and forth along the dusty tarmac as she listened to Rick and the others debate, her black skirt billowed in the breeze and her shoulders burned in the strong sunlight. As hard as she tried, she could not tear her gaze away from the sultry, floppy haired, crossbow wielding man perched on the bottom of the bleachers. His stare burning through her and filling her heart with happiness and her stomach with butterflies. 

Glenn, Rick, Maggie and Tyreese had volunteered to help prop the fences up using tree trunks from the inside while Lena had offered to work further into the prison to look for more materials to use as barricades. 

“I’ll go with Lena” Said Daryl. It was the first and only thing he’d said and his voice had seemed a lot louder than usual when he finally spoke. 

“OK” Rick said. You two may have to clear our more parts of the block that could be full of Walkers, so be careful”.

“Nothing a little chopping and slicing can’t cure” Lena quipped. 

It was decided that Carl would cover the tower while Carol, Sasha and Beth rationed and cleaned the weapons they had and moved some vehicles to create barricades. Hershel was to put together field dressings ready to treat any wounded. 

“Alrighty, I’m going to slip into something more combat ready” Lena announced, catching Daryl’s eye as she headed inside to her cell. 

 

A neatly folded pile of clothes sat on Lena’s bunk and she regarded it with suspicion, staring down at it and wondering if she’d done laundry and suddenly got amnesia. Then it occurred to her, Carol had washed and folded her clothing for her in a small but extremely helpful gesture that meant she now had black camo pants, a grey tank top and a clean pair of socks to change into without wasting anymore time. She quickly set about changing her clothes before threading her husbands wedding ring through her newly fixed chain. As she lifted the chain to place it over her head, she turned to see Daryl stood in the doorway. She paused, looking at him through the circular shape of the ring. She lowered the chain and smiled at him

“Ya not wearin it?” He asked. 

“I don’t really need a reminder anymore.” She said. “It’s time I let it go.”

She took the ring from the chain and placed it on the table next to her. He watched her loop the empty chain over her head. 

“Still gonna wear the chain?” He questioned. 

“Yeah, well…now it’s more important than the ring. You fixed it for me” She shrugged. 

Daryl was unable to stop himself from smiling at her response. Pleased that it meant something to her. 

She threaded her arms through her bone sword holster and tied her bandana around her neck before checking her guns were loaded and she had extra ammo attached to her belt. She snatched a hair tie from her pillow and pulled her hair into a high ponytail, her slightly wavy bangs framing her face and Daryl took a moment to admire her as she looked into a small, broken mirror she had mounted on the wall. He smirked when he saw her shake her head and throw her hands in the air. 

“What am I doing? I’m going to clear a building of reanimated corpses and I’m looking into a mirror. It’s the apocalypse…everybody looks like shit” 

She stepped away from the mirror towards the door, expecting him to move aside. When he didn’t, she gave him a confused look. 

“Something you want to say, Biceps?” She joked, seeing a flicker of amusement pass across his face. 

“Naw” he mumbled, gingerly moving aside. 

As she stepped over the threshold, he lifted a hand and grazed her forearm with the back of his index finger. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him. 

She heard a low grumble from him before he spoke. “About what Merle told ya.” He uttered, obviously highly uncomfortable. “Y’know...uh... about how I feel about ya”

“Daryl” She interrupted “You don’t have to do that. It’s not something we need to discuss yet. I mean, unless you want to.”

“Nah, I’m good” He replied. Grateful for the pass from the conversation. She thought he was done talking when he spoke again, his voice a gruff, hushed whisper and his lips barely moved. 

“Ya don’t look like shit. Ya beautiful.”

She huffed awkwardly and attempted to shove any inclination that she’d react bashfully away, pushing it to the back of her mind and willing herself to respond in an appropriate way. But the truth was, no one except Daryl had ever called her beautiful before and while this was not the first time he’d said it, it was the first time she’d been forced to acknowledge it. She’d been called hot, sexy, pretty, yes. But never beautiful. Her unique, quirky style had always distracted from her natural beauty and she never saw herself as being fitting of such a description. Her eyes dropped to the floor and she scuffed the shiny surface with her boot like a shy teenager.

“You’re the first person to ever use that word to describe me. I’m- I’m not perfect or anything. But I it means a lot to me that you think I’m beautiful. Thank you.” She said, her stomach fluttering and her palms sweating inside her gloves.

“Ya don’t gotta be perfect to be beautiful, Lena.” He replied, his eyes flickering to the stairwell to check that no one else was around before he leaned into her and gently kissed her.

She melted into him and instantly relaxed. She raised a hand to his face and felt his rough stubble under her fingers. 

He pulled back and lifted his crossbow further up his shoulder, flashing her a satisfied smirk. 

“Let’s do this” She grinned. 

 

Daryl had found a large plastic box on wheels that he wheeled into Lena’s old block and up to the door that separated it from the rest of the prison. He had also found some screwdrivers and various other tools that would could come in handy for collecting materials to use for strengthening the gate and fences. Lena unlocked the door and they proceeded inside, ensuring it was clear before going back to get the box. They stopped as four dark walk ways connected and Lena turned to Daryl. 

“What about doors?” She said. 

He glanced around them, noting that he could currently see five of them, two of which were heavy, iron barred doors that lead to other, smaller blocks. 

“Hmm, not a bad idea.” He admitted. 

“We could just take them off the hinges and use them as a barricade of some sort. The ones that aren’t barred would be good to use as cover in gunfire, we could line them up along the bridge and inner fences.”

“Yeah, could be useful for extra protection.”

He stooped down and collected some tools from the box and motioned the door closest to them. It was at least double the thickness of a regular door and sported a large, metal locking system by the handle. Lena rattled through the keys on the key ring that Rick had given her and unlocked it. She withdrew a sword and cast the glow of a flashlight inside while slowly stepping over the threshold. Shelving lined the walls and tables with computers lined the middle of the room. 

“it’s clear” She said over her shoulder, moving further inside and beginning to search the boxes. 

Daryl set to work on the doors hinges with another flashlight held between his teeth while he listened to Lena mumbling to herself as she wandered around inside the room. One of the hinges had been removed with minimal effort when he heard Lena call him. 

“Daryl there’s another room back here” She said from the shrouded darkness. 

He took the flashlight from his mouth and followed her voice, finding her right at the back, staring at a sign on the door. 

“We need to get in there” She announced, immediately holstering her sword and rifling through the keys and trying to match them up to the lock.  
“This prison is old school, it obviously hadn’t moved with the times and installed electronic locks yet, fortunately for us.” She mused, glancing up at him.

His brow was furrowed and he was looking at the sign on the door with a puzzled expression. 

“Armory. We been livin right by this the whole time?” He asked. 

“It might be empty but there’s only one way to find out. It’s locked so our chances are good.”

Trying three keys in the lock with no success, she began to nibble her bottom lip as she concentrated. Selecting another key, she pushed it into the lock and tried to turn it. a loud click rang out through the room and she grinned at him. 

“Ready?” She asked. He raised his crossbow and gave her a nod. She pushed the door open and lifted the flashlight into the room. Daryl was first in, stopping immediately when he noticed what was inside. 

“Holy shit” He gasped. 

 

The box was full when they were done with the armory. Piled high with semi-automatic weapons, Tasers and pistols and riot gear, it had now become difficult to move due to it’s weight. Lena and Daryl had removed five doors and had set their sights on more before they realized they had to set them back somehow. They lay two of the doors across the box and worked together to maneuver their horde through the walkways and back to the block. Leaving it in the middle of the room, they went back to retrieve the rest, carrying everything two by two with one of them at each end. When they’d moved everything outside into the yard, Lena decided to take five and sit down on the grass and watch Cleo while she caught her breath. 

The horse was nibbling a trail towards her owner, looking up occasionally to make sure she was still there as her ears twitched and her tail swished. Daryl sat next to Lena and looked around for the others. Seeing them all going about their jobs, he decided to push away the urge to lean over and kiss Lena’s neck in case they were seen. 

Cleo had inched closer and closer until she was right in front of them, sniffing Daryl’s boot. He watched her with a half-smile. 

“Where’d she come from?” He asked. 

“I found her roaming about in a field one day. Took me three days to get her to let me touch her. I knew some stuff about horses before, we kept them at the Eco Village. As soon as I put a rope around her neck and led her off she was mine. I found her some tack at a nearby farm and we were set. I think she probably lived there, at that farm. She didn’t go far from home.” She picked at the grass as she spoke, shifting herself closer to his side. 

“Good job ya got her. The longer they’re out there the quicker they become what they really are.” He said. 

“I have a strong inclination that all she really is, is a big softie. Although she’ll mow you down for an apple.” She joked, pleased to hear him giggle softly as he held his hand out to Cleo. She sniffled his fingers and stepped closer, allowing him to gently stroke her head. 

“Think she likes me?” He looked at Lena with a grin and she realized how much she adored it when he smiled properly. It was such a rare occurrence that she had never really registered it before. 

“I think she does. It seems you’re better with the ladies than you thought.” She said, nudging his sweat covered, muscular arm. 

“Yeah, right.” He muttered, still smoothing over Cleo’s fur and moving his hand to her neck when she moved even closer. She lifted her head and began to sniff over his chest and neck, gently snorting and ticking his skin. He laughed again, recoiling slightly. 

“Hey, Cleo” Lena said, tapping the horses head with her index finger “Get your own. This one’s mine”

 

Daryl looked at her sideways, Cleo’s nose now leaving his neck and moving back to his boot and the area around him as she thudded backwards. He studied Lena’s face as she held his gaze, smiling at him in the sunshine. 

He reached into his pocket pulled out his cigarettes, placing one between his lips and lighting with a zippo. He inhaled deeply and smoke billowed up between them. He drew his legs under him and sat cross-legged, positioning the hand holding the cigarette on his knee. Something had caught Lena’s attention and she lowered her vision to his hand, where she noticed fresh cigarette burns below his thumb. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed. Waiting for him to finish his smoke, she thought about the best way to broach the subject. 

“Daryl?” She said. He looked at her. 

“Hmm?”

“I know I’ve made things difficult for you since you came back, but you know I care about you, don’t you?” She said quietly, attempting to keep her voice low enough in case someone happened to pass by behind them.

“Yeah, why?”

She took his hand in hers and turned it so the scars faced upwards. She was met with three, bright red, angry circles and she tightened her grip on his hand as she felt him try to tug it away.

“It’s nothin. No big deal.” He grumbled. 

She leaned to one side and rested her head on his shoulder, no longer caring if anyone could see them. He tensed, the reaction a mixture of unexpected physical contact and her sudden willingness to show affection in public. 

She gently rubbed her thumb over the surface of his skin, around the wounds and he cast his mind back to before the world went bad, when the world was already bad for him. He had always struggled with his emotions, everything he felt morphing into anger and rage and he had never been shown any other way to be. It had been no big deal to him, but now it wasn’t just him that he had to think about. It was Lena too. 

“My head gets kinda… loud sometimes.” He admitted. “I need a distraction”

She sat back up straight and brought his hand up to her face. She kissed his knuckles lightly before finally allowing him to pull it away. 

“You have one now. Me. You just let me know.”

His response was a small, knowing nod and Lena felt this was enough to ram the point home that he didn’t have to keep giving in to the damaging habits of a lifetime if he had someone who was willing to help him break them. 

“There’s a lot I don’t know about you” She observed. 

At this, he scoffed and shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at Glenn and Maggie by the fence, readying themselves to wedge a tree trunk against the post.

“I aint that interestin’.” He uttered.

“Oh, I beg to differ” She laughed “I don’t know anything about your life, other than you and your brother were joined at the hip when he was around and spent a lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing.”

“Pretty much it.” He stated. 

“Who taught you to hunt?” She queried, preparing herself to fire more questions at him before he ran away. 

“My ol’ man. And Merle.” Came his short answer. 

“What were your parents like?” She continued

“Shitty”

Lena raised both eyebrows and sensed she was encroaching on a subject he had no desire to talk about. She wanted to ask about his scars but felt that line of questioning could cause him to clam up and get angry. Opting for something that would soften his defensive exterior, she decided to steer the conversation away from his parents. 

“OK, so I’ve grilled you, why don’t you ask me something?” She chirped, attempting to change the subject.

“Like what?” He questioned. 

“Oh come on, I know I’m a little forthcoming with information about myself but there must be something you want to know. Go on, I’ll answer anything.” she offered.

Daryl thought for a moment. There were things he wanted to know, but he had almost resigned himself to finding them out all in good time. He liked the idea of slowly unwrapping the layers of her, discovering more about her as time went on and never getting to the point where he knew absolutely everything. But she had asked, so he only felt it right to play the game. 

“Alright” He said “Do ya still think about him?”

“Who?” 

“Ya husband”

Lena’s eyes widened at the choice of topic and she sucked in a deep breath. 

“Wow, straight in with the touchy subject” She grumbled. 

‘Sorry, ya aint gotta answer that. Forget I said anythin’.” He said. 

“No, no. I said I’d answer and I’m a woman of my word.” She smiled. “Yes. I still think about him. From time to time. Believe me, when I do think of him it’s never in a good way. I hate him for what he did to me. Mostly, I just wonder if he’s still alive.”

A silence planted it’s self firmly around them, neither of them knowing what to say next and staying quiet so as not to say the wrong thing. 

“Still kinda weird. Knowin’ ya married.” He confessed. 

“Ooh, so you don’t like being the other man? It’s kinda naughty and you’re so damn good at it.” She winked at him, catching him blush slightly. 

“Stop” He grumbled, the tips of his ears burning pink.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SSSSSSSSSSSSMUT warning!**  
> As always, comments are very welcome. Huge thanks to Celiaazul12 for always being so enthusiastic!

The group had worked until well after dark and the prisons defenses were now twice as strong as they were before and Rick and Lena had done two thorough walkthroughs of the perimeter. She had offered to do guard duty and take over Maggie’s shift, the quiet darkness up in the tower seeming appealing to her after a day’s work in the sun. She had helped herself to some food before climbing the stairs in the tower and settling against the wall on a blanket, placing the large rifle across her outstretched legs and setting a small lantern on the floor beside her. In the yard below, she could see Cleo being groomed by Beth, the tuneful sound of her singing softy to the horse causing Lena to smile broadly.  
She knew it wouldn’t be long before Daryl appeared, she had caught his eye in passing earlier in the block and made a point of telling Maggie that she would do her shift within Daryl’s earshot. As she’d left the block, she winked at him and he’d smiled. 

A light tapping in the distance followed by wood and metal being scraped a long the tarmac sounded out from the opposite side to the prison. Assuming some of the group had gone back to work by flashlights after eating, she ignored the sounds and tried to concentrate on keeping watch over the gate and the area around the fences. 

Footsteps in the stairwell disturbed her peaceful watch and she smiled to herself, Daryl had got her hint. When they approached, she took a small glance over her shoulder to see Rick emerge at the top of the stairs. Feeling a fleeting moment of disappointment that he wasn’t Daryl, she grinned at him and watched him lean on the railings in front of where she was seated. 

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” She chirped.

Rick ran his hands through his air before crossing his arms. He looked tired and dirty and Lena wondered if he actually ever slept. 

“I wanted to wait until you were up here to talk to you about Daryl.” He said, his voice quiet enough so as not to be heard by anyone passing below. 

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“He’s hardly said a word to any of us since Merle died. But he seems to have latched onto you.” He observed. 

She couldn’t stop the smirk that emerged on her face. 

“How is he? Is he alright?” He asked. 

“As well as can be expected, I suppose.” She replied, running her finger along the side of the rifle. “He’s quietly simmering, y’know stages of grief and all that. I’m not expecting that to subside anytime soon. He’ll be OK though, I’m keeping an eye on him.”

Rick nodded and waited for her to look up at him, so he could catch her eye. 

“Something going on between you two?” he said, tilting his head to one side. 

Lena shook her head in amusement. “Would that be a problem, Officer?”

“Not at all” He laughed “It was obvious there was something between you on the day he left with Merle.”

Lena huffed and looked out across the trees, the few Walkers that were on the outside of the fence were reasonably dispersed, the Walker pets doing a good job of keeping them confused and from forming large and potentially dangerous groups. She brought her eyes back to Rick, his silver gun glinting in the glow of the lantern

“He’s not a great conversationalist and he’s reserved, so I’m trying not to make a big deal out of it. Not until we know that this has a chance of working. We’re total opposites. I talk, he thinks, I’m loud, he’s silent, I’m paranoid, he’s sure. It’s like opposites attract has never been more relevant.” She explained. 

“Fair enough” He agreed, standing up straight “The way I see it? If you guys like each other, you’ll find a way to make it work. We need more good outcomes in this world.”

His face suddenly became downcast, his eyes dropping to the floor and his shoulders slouching. She saw him exhale deeply. 

“Hey” She said. “We’re going to win this thing.” 

“You think?” He queried. 

“Yeah. I’m not good at losing stuff and I hate being made to look like an imbecile.” She giggled. “We got this, Sherriff.”

Finally, he returned her smiles and gave her a polite nod.

“See you later, Lena. Don’t overthink it all.” He called back to her. 

“Speak for yourself” She laughed. 

 

Daryl didn’t turn up all night and Lena was starting to get mildly concerned by the time the sun came up. She handed guard duty over to Carol and made her way down the stairs, her eyes heavy and her stomach growling. She scanned the yard for any sight of him, but he was nowhere to be found. The tapping she had heard in the night had continued intermittently for hours and was still going. She noticed it was coming from Cleo’s yard as she made her way to her cell. 

Inside, she made small talk with the others while munching her way through a bowl of cereal and powdered milk before heading to the showers and then to her bunk. She slept soundly, a full day and night of work without any sleep taking its toll and she finally roused around 7 hours later in the middle of the afternoon. 

Dressing in her camo pants and black T-shirt, she crossed the yard to the other block, finding Daryl sat on the grass with Cleo wandering around him and nudging his back and arms in a bid for attention. He dutifully raised a hand and stroked her head after every nudge, patiently tending to the horses demands. 

“There you are” Lena said breezily as she stopped beside him. He immediately got to his feet when he saw her. 

“Hey” He mumbled as he dusted down his pants. 

“You didn’t want to join me in the tower last night. Something I said?” She asked. 

His brow furrowed. “Naw. I was kinda busy.” 

“Wow” She giggled “I’m second best already.”

He rolled his eyes “C’mon, Gotta show ya somethin’.”

He grabbed her hand and headed towards Cleo’s stable, the horse following behind them slowly and trimming the grass as she went. Daryl stopped in front of the closed stable door and let go of Lena’ s hand. Shifting on his feet awkwardly and nibbling his lip he tapped on the wooden door. 

“Open it” He said. 

Lena gingerly placed a hand on the door, giving him a confused look in the process. As she pushed the door, she was surprised to find it hardly budged, a creaking noise rising up from the hinges. She hesitated before placing both hands on the door and pushing harder, this time the door moved in the frame and creaked open an inch or so. 

“What have you been doing?!” She asked, heaving her weight onto the door and opening it fully. She gasped as she stepped inside, her eyes flitting around the walls and settling back on Daryl who now hovered in the doorway. 

“Place wasn’t protected from gunfire.” He mumbled, lifting a hand and chewing on his thumb. 

Lena ran her hand along an old door from inside the prison that had been turned onto its side and hammered to the already existing wooden walls. She noticed more and more internal doors along with table tops and other flat materials all creating a thick, bullet proof barrier between Cleo and the outside. She gawped at Daryl, the sun behind him creating a silhouette. 

“This is what you were doing all night?” She probed. “I thought I could hear someone tapping, I assumed the others were still working on this side of the fences. It was you all along?”

Daryl nodded. “I was kind a restless. Needed to do somethin’. I know she means a lot to ya and I realized we never thought of how we’re gonna protect her if we get attacked.” He shrugged. 

Lena stepped towards him and curled her fingers around the hand that was still in front of his mouth, his teeth still gnawing on his thumb. She gently pulled it away and observed his tired features. He had worked through the night. 

“I can’t believe you did this” She whispered as she slid a hand around his waist under his leather vest. Noting that had hadn’t flinched this time, she brushed her lips against his and felt him respond by positioning a hand on her hip and drawing her closer to him. She deepened their kiss slightly then stepped back and rubbed her thumb over his cheek, feeling the rough, unshaved terrain of his jawline. 

“Thank you” She breathed. 

“No need to thank me.” He muttered, a shy smile creeping across his face. She leaned into him, her hands slipping around his waist and pulling him into a tight embrace. She rested her head on his chest. He slowly raised his arms and wrapped them around her, squeezing her body gently and burying his head in her hair. 

When she pulled away, she traced a line with her index finger down his chest to his belt buckle.

“I really think I should…demonstrate my gratitude. Would you let me do that?” She offered, raising an eyebrow at him and seeing him attempt to hide a laugh. 

“Yeah” He said unable to stop himself from blushing.

“Yeah?” She giggled 

“Yeah”

“Alright” She laced her fingers into his and guided him out of the stable. 

 

In the empty cell block, Lena allowed Daryl to walk ahead of her so she could quietly turn and lock the main door to the outside. 

“Im’ma get a shower” he announced as he snatched a towel that was pushed through the bars of the cell. 

Lena considered joining him, but things were different now. Her usually faultless confidence in the face of emotionless sex was no longer in existence, because there was now nothing emotionless about what was happening between them. She almost felt nervous, the butterflies in her stomach flapping wildly and resulting in a need to sit down and take a deep breath. She sat on her old bed as Daryl removed his vest and headed for the showers and she wondered if he actually had a cell or if he just tended to bed down where he was. She had seen him rummaging through clothes in the other block, but he had little desire for other possessions and she couldn’t ever remember seeing him settle for long in any, one place. 

She shifted back further onto the bed and unstrapped her boots, letting them thud to the floor and unstrapping her knife holster from her shin. She set about removing her other blades before picking up the dog-eared book she was reading two nights previously and flicking through the pages.

Daryl appeared around 20 minutes later, his black shirt partially buttoned and his hair hanging loose and wet around his shoulders. He padded into the cell, the bottom of his black, ripped jeans scuffing along the floor as he threw the wet towel into the table. Lena was sat against the wall on the bed, her knees drawn up and the book held open against them. She peered at him as he moved around the cell until finally, he caught her eye. 

“What?” He asked. 

She shuffled to the edge of the bed, placed the book on the floor and stood in front of him. His wet hair formed droplets of water at the ends that ran down his shoulders, dampening his shirt. She lifted a hand and saw him stiffen as her fingers began to pluck at the buttons one by one but he remained where he was, gazing adoringly at her. Releasing the last button, she slipped a hand under the shirt by his shoulder and tugged it backwards, stepping around him slightly to follow the movement of the garment. 

“What are ya doin?” He asked when he realized she was moving around to his back.

“Do you trust me, Daryl?” She whispered. 

He hadn’t trusted many people in his life except Merle and the group he had eventually found himself with and trust wasn’t something that came easily to him, now more than ever. 

“Yeah” He replied quietly. 

She completely removed his shirt, dropping it to the floor and finding herself stood behind him. His head was dipped forwards, his hair hanging in front of his face. She feathered her fingers over the deep, scarred lacerations on his back and he jolted with every touch. Guilt almost overwhelmed her when she realized he was shaking. It was subtle, but it was there. 

“It’s OK” She soothed. “Who did this to you?” 

He slowly raised his head and looked over his shoulder at her. Shame and sadness filling his eyes.

“Ol’ man was a drinker” He uttered, his voice cracking slightly. 

“Your father did this to you?!” She questioned

His response was a sad nod as he returned his gaze to the floor in front of him. Lena moved her hand and wrapped her fingers around his upper arm, while the other one moved up and down his back, bumping softly over the risen scars.

“And Merle?” She pressed. 

“Merle took it all before he left. Was just me n’ the ol' man after that. He was a mean drunk.” He responded.

The two of them stood there in silence for a minute, Daryl letting Lena gently stroke his scarred back, surprised at how good it felt. He had never let anyone touch his scars before. Plenty of people had noticed them, mainly drunk women from bars, but asking questions and touching them was out of bounds and would be met with an angry outburst.

“You’re ashamed of them.” She finally stated. 

“Yeah. Wouldn’t you be?” He replied sadly. 

She peppered the healed, risen wounds on his left shoulder with butterfly kisses, noticing his entire body become rigid like a statue. Then she stepped in front of him and lifted his head by placing her index finger under his chin. 

“Hey, look at me.” She ordered. His eyes reluctantly looking into hers in case she was able to see every emotion he’d ever felt that was linked to the permanent reminder on his back that he was a victim of child abuse. 

“Listen.” She said sternly. “They’re scars for a reason. They don’t hurt anymore because the hurt is over. But they’re still there to remind you of what you lived through and what you survived, the moments that almost killed you but also made you who you are. They’re a secret roadmap of your personal history that you have let me see. I can’t tell you what that means to me.”

He was looking right at her, taking in every word and trying to process that for the first time in his life, he had allowed someone to not only see his scars, but to touch them. He loved the way Lena interpreted them, the way she didn’t shy away from them and the way she had turned the most awful thing that had ever happened to him around and reminded him that he was a survivor. 

She leaned forwards until her forehead was connected with his and looped her arms around his waist, her fingers splayed out across his back. He remained silent and was now noticeably more relaxed.

“Don’t be ashamed. It is not your shame to bare. It is your fathers.”

His hand caressed the side of her face as he kissed her. He wanted to completely devour her. The fact that she hadn’t recoiled in horror had cemented in his mind that she was a rare and valuable thing and he knew he would never find someone like her again. He slowly pulled back from her, her big, green eyes almost sparkling in the light that shone down from the window high up in the ceiling. 

“Thanks” He uttered, his lips barely moving as he spoke. “For not thinkin badly of me.”

She sighed and took hold of his hand that was still resting on the side of her face. 

“Why would anyone think badly of you for something that was not your fault?” She asked. 

He shrugged.

“Daryl, your scars are beautiful, because they’re a part of you.” She whispered, pressing herself against his body and presenting him with a more than pleasant distraction in the form of a rough kiss. She exhaled slowly through her nose and gasped in a breath when her lips momentarily left his. He could feel the lust and want rising inside him, a quick response to his now wandering hands that were feeling down her neck and over her breasts. When his right hand got to her belt he paused, only to feel her grabbing at his own pants.

He was nervous. The first two times he had been with her had been fueled by nothing more than lust and a need to expel some pent up frustrations. While he definitely enjoyed the chance to be with a woman again after so long, something more was involved now and he cared deeply what she thought of him. Not wanting to make a wrong move, he was hesitant and shy.

While Lena was also a little nervous, she knew she would have to take the lead on his one. Able to sense Daryl’s shyness in his hesitant touch, she found herself becoming more and more determined to set him at ease. 

His hands stopped moving as she unzipped his jeans, her lips still frantically kissing and nibbling his and their tongues flickering together. She guided his fingers to the hem of her tank top, looping them underneath and smiling into their kiss. 

“It’s OK” She whispered as she moved slowly down the side of his neck, sucking and biting softly on his skin. 

He took hold of her top and lifted it up and over her head. She broke away from him and put her arms up, her eyes locking with his once her top had been discarded. Flashing him a bashful smile, she saw his mouth curl up in approval as he flicked her bra straps to the edge of her shoulders so they fell down her arms effortlessly. She stepped back, tugging on the belt loops of his open pants and beckoning for him to go with her. He followed her and quickly popped the button on her pants before snaking his hands around her waist and up to her back. He positioned his fingers over the clasp of her bra but didn’t release yet there and then, he was too busy enjoying her hand inside his pants, rubbing up and down his cock over his boxers and causing him to shudder in pleasure. 

He gasped in her ear as she applied more pressure. He was so hot and hard under her hand she found it difficult to keep the pace and prolong this for as long as she could, not knowing when they would get another chance. 

“You like that?” She purred, tickling her nose on his and kissing him lightly in his breathless glory. 

His response came in the form of a growl from deep in his throat which literally made Lena gasp. She loved hearing how much he wanted her. 

His hands now moved around the clasp of her bra, releasing it with no issues. It dropped further down her arms and she paused slightly to rip it off and throw it away. Her skin tingled and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when he lunged forwards, clamping his mouth over a nipple and swirling his tongue around it. She yanked at the sides of his pants and boxers, shifting them down over his hips and releasing his erection. 

Moving his lips away from her breast, he soon found her neck as he set to work on removing her pants but she was already there and helping him to push them down. She wiggled her hips and threw her arms around his neck. Her camo pants and underwear dropped to her ankles and she stepped out of them. She ran her hands through his still damp hair feeling him sucking the skin on her neck, leaving a trail of delightfully painful bruises that made her moan. He growled again, this time louder as he felt the sensation of her attention go back to his cock. She wrapped her fingers around it, applying just enough pressure to make his knees go weak as she slowly pumped away. 

For Lena, she knew that watching him struggle to contain himself as a result of her actions was going to be one of her favorite sights. The way his breathing became shallow and quick, the way he groaned with pleasure and gripped onto her body with the tips of his fingers, the way the muscles in his chest and arms became taut were enough to make her ready enough for him without him even touching her. 

She continued to move her hand up and down his length, picking up her speed and using her thumb to smooth over the tip. She bit her lip when she felt him pulse in her grasp.  
His hands were now all over her, stroking her body and journeying along the perfectly curved shape of her. As her hand gripped him slightly harder she watched as a loud moan escaped his lips and he threw his head back. Knowing she was pushing him a little too far too soon, she released him. He brought his gaze back to her intense eyes, his chest rising and falling with the excitement. 

His arms crept around her waist and he lifted her off her feet as if she weighed nothing. He turned around and backed up to the bed, sitting down on the edge and shuffling back. Lena’s legs straddled his lap and she positioned herself over his cock. He could feel how wet she was as she tilted her hips back and forth, coating him and placing her hands on his shoulders. Her lip ring glinted as she looked down at him. 

“Shit” he hissed, noticing his body juddering under her, she slowly moved back and forth on him. He edged a hand in between them and circled his thumb over her clit. Her nails clamped down on his shoulders and she gasped, her chest heaving in front of him, inviting him and luring him. He kissed and licked over her nipples, into the valley in between and back around again. 

She lifted herself up slightly and took hold of him, lining him up with her and biting her lip as she looked into his eyes. He grabbed her wrist, his lips parted and an uneasy expression on his face. 

“Someone could find us” He uttered.

Lena smirked and slowly shook her head. “I locked the door”.

He gave her a shy smile and kissed her chest once more before letting go of her wrist and glancing up at her.

“You want it?” She murmured 

“Yeah” He whispered. She said she would do this, she said she would make him beg and he loved it. 

“Tell me you want it” She ordered. 

“I fucking want it” He said, his voice louder, clearer, more intense. He was gripping the flesh of her waist and back roughly. “I wanna watch ya come” He suddenly said, earning a large grin from Lena.

“And you will” She beamed as she connected her forehead with his. 

She slowly lowered herself onto his cock, feeling her walls stretch and adjust around him. He exhaled heavily and gripped onto her waist as she moved further and further down until he was enclosed inside her.

“Oh god” She gasped as she moved up and down his shaft. Her finger nails dug into his upper arms as she began to pick up the pace. 

Daryl’s face was buried in her chest and her skin warmed from his rapid breathing. His groans and gasps radiated through her and she clenched her muscles inside him as he leaned his weight back on one arm and began to thrust into her. 

Lena thought back to the last time they were together. How cold and calculated it all was compared to this, which meant something. In fact, it meant everything. He was different, more vulnerable and cautious and she couldn’t believe she had not allowed this to happen sooner. Right now, she couldn’t get close enough to him, even with him inside her, with their naked bodies combined, she still wasn’t close enough and she suspected Daryl felt the same. 

Her core began to burn with pleasure as he continued to rise up to meet her and he once again began to circle a thumb around her clit. 

“Stop” She gasped as she placed her fingers over his thumb, encouraging him to continue with this part while she ground down on him, rotating her hips and feeling her body tremble as he hit the spot inside her over and over. Daryl leaned his head back to watch her, his bottom lip clamped between his teeth. She was a glorious sight, one he never thought he would get to see. His eyes roamed over her tight stomach and her curvy hips as his thumb worked away at bringing her to her high. She forced herself down as far as she could onto him, taking every last inch of him inside her.

“Uh fuck” she heard him say under his breath. 

Still leaning back on once side, he placed his hand behind her thighs and lifted her up slightly, bending his knees. He began to lift his hips, pushing and pulling his cock in and out of her and picking up more and more speed. He held his hand firmly on the top of her thigh, making sure she stayed in position. 

She cried out, the sensation of him pounding into her harder with each thrust driving her crazy and pushing her further to the edge. The sounds of their bodies crashing together echoing around the cell. She dragged her nails across the skin on his arms.

“Faster” she growled in his ear. “I know you want to”

She was right, he did want to. All concerns about hurting her leaving his mind when he realized she was encouraging him to fulfil his desire. Sweat glistened on her chest and forehead and he took in her image, a delicious vision of beauty and sensuality. He stepped up the pace, feeling her literally bounce on top of him. He increased his hold on her thigh, holding her down further.

A perfect balance of pleasure of pain shot through her core and she threw her head back in pure bliss. His new, aggressive thrusting proving to be both addictive and targeting and she could hear he was enjoying it just as much as she was as his grunts and moans became louder. While it was rough and urgent and sweaty and loud, Lena was still stunned at how gentle he could be even when he was slamming into her like this. 

“I gotta slow down or Im’ma come” He gasped, immediately dropping the pace a little and applying more pressure to her clit with his thumb to avoid her being pushed further from her encroaching high. He leaned up and sucked her nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue over the tip and feeling her hand thread into his hair. 

“Uh….” She gasped. His cock was tingling almost unbearably as her walls tightened around him and it dawned on him, she was almost there. Her eyes rolled back and he sat up further, quickly grabbing both of her wrists and holding them so as not to obscure his view of her as the wave crashed into her like a tsunami. He watched in awe as her chest flushed a deep red and her entire body shuddered violently. A single, tantalizing bead of sweat running between her breasts as her body convulsed on top of him. He continued to hit into her as she came, feeling his own release only seconds away. 

“Come for me” She ordered, her voice jagged and exhausted.

She gasped and tried to tear her wrists away but he held on tight as the sight of her orgasm was too much and he came deep inside her, his cock throbbing upon its release and adding to her high. He released her wrists and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head in her chest as he groaned and twitched. 

She kissed the top of his head and he pulled back slightly to look at her. She brushed the hair from his face that was wet with sweat and stuck to his skin and noticed that he was avoiding her eyes. He was panting furiously and trying to catch his breath, his cock still inside her and twitching with pleasure as his erection slowly departed. 

She gently lifted herself from him and settled back down across his thighs.

“Hey” She whispered, tickling under his chin with her index finger.

He glanced up quickly and she kissed him softly, shivering when he ran his finger tips down her spine and smiled at her reaction. As her back arched at the sensation she pushed her chest out and he licked and sucked at her breasts once more making her writhe with how sensitive they now were. He smiled as he worked, adding his fingers into the mix and brushing over her nipples. 

“Oh my god, OK you have to stop that.” She giggled. 

“Sorry” He mumbled, pulling away “I…can’t help it."

Swinging her leg to one side, she crawled over the bed and drew the sheets up and over her before beckoning for him to join her. He lay next to her and she lifted his arm, snuggling under it and resting her head on his chest. He shifted and turned his body to face her slightly, their legs intertwining under the covers. 

“You held back” She said eventually, tracing small circles on his chest. 

He hesitated before answering. Knowing that he had indeed held back but for a good reason. 

“I didn’t wanna hurt ya.” He admitted. 

“Oh, it hurt” She smirked “But in all the right ways.”

She felt him huff a little at her remark, hoping he wasn’t worrying about the former part of her sentence rather than the latter.

“I guess I didn’t know how far I could go.” He explained. 

She lifted her head and smiled softly at him.

“Well, maybe next time we can see. For someone that’s only ever been with women he’s not cared about, you definitely know what you’re doing in the sensuality department. Nothing like a man with a ravenous need to fuck the shit out of you and protect you at the same time.” She giggled. 

“OK, OK stop it.” He laughed back. 

She put her head back on his chest and they lay in silence for a few moments, hands gliding over each other’s skin beneath the covers. Lena listened to Daryl’s slow, steady breathing and nuzzled further into his chest as he kissed her forehead. 

“So…next time?” He asked. 

Lena sat up on her elbow and shot him an amused look. He shrugged back at her, his eyes widening as she slid her body back over his and lay on top of him. His hands smoothed over the curve of her lower back and ass. 

“I gotta go feed Cleo and Ronnie and Bonnie before nightfall.” She said, kissing a line along the middle of his chest. 

“Don’t look much like ya leavin’.” He said, his breathing staring to become more labored with the sensation of her body on top of his and her feather light kisses teasing him. 

“Mmm no, I guess it doesn’t” She said in-between kisses, meeting his neck and working up to beneath his ear. She nibbled it and he grabbed her, flipping her over onto her back and sliding a hand down her abdomen and between her legs. She wriggled and laughed softly. 

“Daryl, Stop. I have to go.” 

“You’re the one’s started this!” He protested. 

“I’m sorry” She pleaded playfully. 

She ran her hands over his chest and stomach, noticing him teetering on the edge of saying something else. 

"What is it?" She asked. 

He paused for what seemed like forever to Lena, but she waited, admiring his endearing shyness. 

"Ya so beautiful" He finally whispered. 

"You've called me that a couple times now" 

"Yeah. I don't want ya to ever forget it"

Her heart lurched at the comment, he continued to surprise her and she couldn't help but wonder about all the years he'd wasted not saying such things to anyone. She knew there were probably women that had liked him that he'd pushed away and not given a chance. Women that could have heard him say such things tp them. But he had chosen to say them to her.

He gently stroked her face and wiggled at her lip ring with the tip of his finger before he kissed her passionately, slipping his tongue into her mouth. She moaned quietly and pushed her fingers into his hair, grabbing a fistful of it and biting his bottom lip. Feeling herself giving in, she pulled away and sat up, shuffling to the edge of the bed and scooping up her bra.

Daryl’s face thudded into the pillow as she fastened her bra. He sighed deeply and propped himself up on his elbow, watching as she collected her clothing and got dressed. She strapped her weapons to her limbs and pulled on her boots. When she’d laced them up she stood up straight and looked at him in his hazy after sex glow and wished she could stay. But she did have somewhere to be and if she was honest with herself, she needed to breakaway for a while and get her head straight. What she was feeling was so intense, she felt the need to try and process it alone. She winked at him and went to leave the cell. 

“Lena” Daryl called out. She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him. 

“Should come back. Stay here tonight. I mean, If ya wanna.”

She thought for a moment and nodded. “OK” She replied.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for every comment and Kudos, that is what keeps fan fic writers going!  
> New chapter, apologies for the wait.  
> Fluffy/smutty content.

Lena finished up feeding the mules and Cleo and headed to her cell to collect some things. The group were gathered around the tables with various bowls and plates scattered about in front of them. Rick was immersed in deep conversation with Carl in the corner and Beth stood with Carol at the makeshift kitchen, baby Judith cradled in her arms and sleeping soundly. 

As she stepped down the last couple of steps, Sasha looked up from her conversation with Hershel and winked at her. Lena furrowed her brow, hoping that it wasn’t written all over her face that she’d spent the last couple of hours in bed with Daryl. Sasha motioned with her head towards the cells and stood up from her seat. She walked to the entrance to the sleeping area and Lena followed her. She stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to face Lena. 

“So, I saw you and Daryl go into the other block earlier. I tried to get in about an hour ago to ask if you wanted me to feed Cleo aaaaaand the door was locked.” She said, a hint of amusement flickering across her face. 

“Oh, was it?” Lena questioned “Sorry, must be force of habit.” She shrugged and continued to walk to her cell. Sasha followed close behind her, stopping at the doorway to her cell. 

“Really?” Sasha asked, leaning on the doorframe and crossing her arms. 

“Really, what?” Lena said breezily, picking through her clothes on the bed.

Sasha fell silent for a moment and watched her potter around the cell in an attempt to avoid her questioning. She stepped closer to her and grabbed her wrist, her fingers catching on the blade holster strapped to Lena’s forearm. 

“We’re friends, right?” Sasha asked. 

Despite Lena’s determined efforts to avoid any emotional connections with anyone else, it seemed it was completely out of her control who formed emotional connections with her. Now she had given into her desire to be with Daryl, she found herself starting to see everything else differently too.

“Yeah, of course” She replied. 

“Then I’m going to ask you a question and you’re going to answer it and I promise you I will not breathe a word to anyone, OK?” Sasha reasoned. 

Lena rolled her eyes. “Fine, shoot.” She huffed, with every intention of lying as a response. 

“Did Daryl give you that hickey?”

Lena’s hand shot up to her neck, feeling the small sensitive spot that made her wince when she pushed on it. She grit her teeth and dipped her head, scrunching her face up. 

“Yes” She squeaked. 

“Ha!” Sasha cried triumphantly. “You two were in there for like 2 hours, girl! I hope it was worth the wait.”

A laugh escaped Lena and she looked up and grinned at Sasha. 

“It was.” She whispered. 

Sasha’s face lit up “Throw me some details here. Daryl’s a mysterious one.”

“Ew, no.” Lena giggled. “Please, keep this to yourself. He’s just lost his brother, the last thing he needs is his escapades broadcast across the apocalypse.”

“I said I wouldn’t say anything, so I won’t. I promise. This is awesome Lena, I’m happy for you.” 

“Thanks” Lena said bashfully. 

Sasha wandered to the door and looked back, seeing Lena gathering her firearms.

“Hey” She called to her. Lena looked up, picking up her backpack. “I’m really glad you let us in that day. I’ll never know how to thank you properly for that.”

Lena shook her head “You don’t have to thank me for anything. I’m glad you and Tyreese are here”

Sasha gave her a broad smile and a nod. 

“I got guard duty, I’ll see you later” She said. 

 

As Lena left the cell with her bone swords and holsters on and a backpack containing a clean set of clothes and her guns, she swung by the small, made-up kitchen on the way back to the other block. Carol was still stood, watching with dedication over a pot of soup on a camping stove. She smiled broadly at Lena as she stopped and leaned on the wall in front of her, turning her body slightly to shield her from the others. 

“So, I was wondering if I could take some food back to the other block, for Daryl.”

Carol smirked, keeping her eyes on the steaming liquid in the pot as she stirred. 

“Is Daryl unable to walk over here himself?” She asked. 

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Lena ran her tongue over her lip ring and shrugged her back pack further up her shoulder. 

“No…” She mumbled. 

“Well then. You tell him it’ll be ready when he gets here.” She chirped, struggling to hide the mocking grin on her face.

Lena sighed and leaned towards her slightly.

“C’mon Carol. Woman to woman…I’m staying over there tonight and this conversation is making me highly uncomfortable. Stop making fun and cut me some slack here.”

Carol regarded her with an amused expression as she ladled soup that contained tinned vegetables and pasta into two bowls. 

“He’s OK?” She asked quietly. 

Lena studied her for a moment, seeing her face change from amused to almost solemn. 

“Yeah, he’s OK. He just needs time.” Lena assured her. 

“And you.” Carol replied. 

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“No” Carol corrected. “He needs time…and he needs you. You’re the woman he loves.” Her eyes raised as she handed the bowls to Lena and she gave her a knowing look.

“Thank you” Lena said politely. 

 

Daryl was using the one remaining table in the block to scatter his arrows about in the process of cleaning them. He was wearing his leather angel winged vest over a sleeveless button down and his hair hung about his face as he worked. Lena appeared carrying her bag with her sword holsters fastened to it and two bowls. She quietly walked up to the table and placed the bowls on the surface next to Daryl’s crossbow and arrows. 

“Hi” She said. 

Daryl shifted on his feet, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and nibbling on it nervously before leaning into her and quickly kissing her lips. He pulled away and began clearing the table.

Lena was surprised by the affectionate gesture, it had only been two, maybe three hours since she’d last seen him and she hadn’t expected a welcome like this. She figured he would make an attentive and affectionate person to be in a relationship with and seemed to have taken to it straight away. She smiled shyly at him and sat down at the table, pushing one of the bowls towards him and placing her bag on the floor. 

“Thought you might be hungry” She said. 

“M’starvin’.” He mumbled, sitting down opposite her and setting to work on the steaming bowl of food. He looked up at her intermittently as she gently stirred her meal with the spoon, thoughtfully gazing into the bowl. 

“I guess this is the closest we’re going to get to a dinner date” She huffed

He looked up at her through his hair. 

“Don’t ya think we’re kind past that point now?” He suggested. 

She laughed slightly and shrugged her shoulders. 

“You’re probably right” She agreed “There’s not much point. This whole process had transpired in completely the wrong order.”

He placed his bowl on the table and studied her face as she went back to her silent musings over her food, one hand tapping her thigh.

“Ya want a dinner date?” He suddenly asked. 

Her eyes shot up from her meal, her eyebrows raised. 

“What? Oh, no…I was just contemplating the what if’s.”

He narrows his eyes at her, trying to figure out what she was really trying to say. 

“Naw, c’mon. I aint never been on no dates but it can’t be that hard, right?” He argued. 

“Uh, we’ll I’d say they’re pretty difficult even when you’re not trying to survive an apocalypse” She warned

“Well, we got food. We got candles n shit. Ya can borrow a dress from somebody that aint too much boob or too much leg. We aint got music but we can put Beth in the corner n’ make her sing.”

Lena burst out laughing, enjoying being able to see his sense of humor. She leaned on the table on her elbow, biting the tip of her thumb and realizing that he had listened to every word of her disastrous dinner date story in the tower that night. 

“You really listened to me that night. I can’t believe you remembered that.” She stated. 

“Listen to every word ya say to me.” He said seriously.

She shot him an apologetic look and felt her stomach flutter at the revelation that he had been a lot more into her and interested than she’d ever imagined. 

“You’re not serious about this date thing?” She challenged. 

“Why not? I figure I got a good chance, right?” He smirked at her. 

Lena shrugged and giggled, tilting her head to one side as she watched him.

He made a mental note of how she looked at him when he’d said something she found funny. Not being big on conversation, it was something he’d rarely seen and in that particular moment, he anticipated that he would quickly become addicted to it. 

“As hilarious as this all sounds, how about we just start from here? As if we’ve just met and this is our dinner date.” She offered. 

“Alright” He responded.

He shook his head and let out a subtle chuckle before getting to his feet and walking to the middle of the room. He stopped, turned around and wandered back. 

“Hey, I’m Daryl” He said.

Lena grinned and stood up in her spot, leaning over to give him a friendly kiss on the cheek.

“Nice to meet you Daryl, I’m Lena.”

They both sat down and sniggered at one another. 

“So, um, tell me about yourself.” Lena asked, struggling to keep her composure and silently cursing him for always making her feel like an overexcited school girl with a crush. 

He paused for a moment and thought. 

“Uh, I like dogs n’ pizza and I don’t sleep with socks on” He beamed. 

 

The two of them sat for a while, laughing and talking about nothing in particular and Daryl was just grateful to have her with him. Not only as a distraction from his recent loss, but also because he wouldn’t have chosen anyone else but her to spend time with. He found himself pouring over every fine detail of her face, her eyes, the way she tapped her thigh when she was deep in thought. Whenever she flashed him one of her biggest smiles, he just wanted to tear off her clothes and make her his all over again. 

Lena had confessed to stealing a candy bar from the stash in the other block and it sat on the table between them. A tantalizing treat that they rarely afforded themselves if they weren’t going on a run. She picked up the candy bar and turned it over in her hands, concluding that snapping it perfectly in half with her fingers was unlikely. She withdrew a sword from it’s holster attached to her bag and positioned the blade in the middle of the candy bar. 

“Lena” Daryl interrupted

“Relax, it’s clean” She grinned as she pressed the blade down. It sliced through the candy with considerable ease and they were left with two perfectly halved pieces. She handed him one and re-holstered her sword. 

“Dessert!” She beamed. 

They ate quietly, savoring every sugar charged moment of the stolen confectionary. 

“I was thinking, just how much of the other block is clear? I mean, did you guys clear the whole thing or just the part that’s lived in?” She enquired.  
“Cleared what we could. Ya get so far in and there’s just this wall of walkers behind bars. We stopped there. Aint no point wastin’ energy and ammo on that shit when it’s contained behind a locked, iron gate.” He explained. 

Lena sighed thoughtfully and scrunched up her candy wrapper. 

“So, up to that point we’re able to use all the rooms and hallways?” She asked. 

“Yeah. Why?” He probed. 

“I’m just trying to come up with a way we have the upper hand against the governor if he ever decides to show.” She sighed.

“Ya think he will?”

“Oh yeah. He will. He’s just leaving it a while so we get complacent.”

“How do ya know that?”

“Because it’s what I’d do.”

Daryl had to admit she had a point. He rummaged in his pocket and retrieved a cigarette. Lighting up, he inhaled deeply and blew smoke from the side of his mouth. Lena got up and took hold of her bag, throwing it over her shoulder and making her way to the cell. She placed her belongings on the table, took off her blades and grabbed the bars on the end of the entrance, swinging herself out of the cell. 

“I’ll be back soon.” She said, heading to the door. 

Daryl looked in her direction in time to see her wink at him before she vanished out of the door. 

Rick was sat at the table in the adjacent block with Tyreese and Hershel. The others seemingly turned in for the night, leaving the three men in quiet conversation by candle light. Lena hopped down the stairs and plonked down on a stool next to Hershel, interrupting their chat. 

“Misdirection” She stated simply, earning herself three blank stares. 

Rick furrowed his brow. “Excuse me?” 

“I have an idea.” She said, leaning forwards on the table and taking a pen and a piece of paper from the middle. She slid it across the table to Tyreese who looked down at it in puzzlement. 

“You got here though the other side of the prison. I’ve only been up to the armory. Could you draw the layout of the hallways and rooms you saw from memory?” She asked

He took the pen and hovered it above the paper, peering at her for a moment as if trying to figure out her train of thought before she’d actually explained it. He began to scrawl harsh lines and boxes in a scruffy, makeshift map that was hard to decipher from Lena’s angle, but she waited patiently until he finally turned it around and showed her. 

“Here.” He pointed to the lines in the middle, thicker than the others. “This is the part of the building that’s collapsed, we got through there. These lines here? That’s the main hallway, there are rooms on either side, administration and storage I guess. Some were locked. This one…”

He pressed the pen into the paper on a large, uneven square.

“…this is the gymnasium, row upon row of bunk beds. The door was unlocked but it’s full of Walkers so we kept moving, didn’t wanna make too much noise. Further on from here are more gates, two more rooms, one of which must be the armory you found and then another gate that we couldn’t move past and you unlocked for us.”

Lena tilted her head at the map. 

“Hmm” She hummed before looking up at Rick. 

“Could you draw this side of the prison? Up to where you couldn’t clear anymore? I’ve only been to the control room.”

Rick sighed and ran a hand over his greying beard. 

“I’m not sure I can remember-” Rick started.

“We both went in there, if we put our heads together…?” Hershel offered.

Lena turned the paper over and pushed it towards Hershel who placed it between himself and Rick. The two of them mumbled between themselves for a few minutes as Hershel drew the map. Lena gave Tyreese a small smile as she waited, her hands clasped in front of her on the table. 

“OK” Rick finally said, holding up the map. “Main hall here, Solitary confinement rooms here, control room is around this corner and in the opposite direction is another hall. This one’s dark as hell and at the end is a Gate with what looked like 30 or so Walkers behind it.”

“We didn’t touch it. Decided it was best to leave them be.” Hershel added. 

Lena raised a hand and motioned for Rick to pass her the maps. She studied them silently for what Rick thought seemed like forever. Glances were exchanged along with a couple of shrugs before Lena finally spoke. 

“Yeah. Misdirection.” She repeated. “See, the governor is expecting us to all be camped in here being shot at like fish in a barrel, right?”

“Uh, yeah?” Tyresse responded. 

“So, I’m proposing we move.” She added. 

Rick shifted in his seat and she saw he was ready to protest. She held up a hand.

“Hear me out” She pleaded. “Not forever. I mean, we would have to be careful and make sure we were always ready to move out but imagine how much of an advantage we would have if he showed up here with an army and the place is silent? No one around. Just things neatly stacked away, empty cells and open doors. The only advantage we have at the moment is that he’s stalling and waiting for us to become lazy and let our guard down, which we’re not going to do.” 

She stood up and leaned on the table, her palms flat on the surface. 

“Where would we go?” Hershel asked. 

“Our fighters would have their posts, they’d go straight there while the others go to the gymnasium on the other side of the prison, with the option to flee through the collapsed wall and into the woods if things get hairy.” She explained.

Tyreese was nodding in agreement while Rick and Hershel remained perfectly still, mulling over the idea. 

“I’m happy to clear the Gymnasium tomorrow. Daryl will help me, lord knows he needs to keep busy.” She suggested. 

“I’ll help” Tyreese said. Lena smiled at him. 

“So, let me get this straight.” Said Rick “You’re saying that most of them will end up in here looking for us, while we’re at various places around the prison where we can open fire and use the element of surprise?”

Lena nodded. “With you controlling it all.”

“Where will you be?” He asked 

She inhaled and bit her lip briefly, seeing a flicker of uncertainty flash across everyone’s faces. 

“In here. Behind that gate with the Walkers.” She stated. 

“What?!” Tyreese exclaimed. 

Hershel shook his head and Rick shot up from his seat and began pacing the room. 

“What are you planning to do from behind that gate surrounded by Walkers except get yourself killed?” Rick questioned, stopping and placing his hands on his hips. 

“I’m going to open the gate.” Was her simple reply. 

Knowing that they were more than capable of handling a mass of Walkers over an army of armed soldiers, Lena sounded almost blasé. 

“That’s suicide, Lena.” Hershel argued. 

“Yeah, I can’t let you do that” Rick agreed.

She stood up straight and took a deep breath.

“I can assure you, I have my methods and so far, they have proved to be more than effective. I have kept myself and my horse alive for all this time. I know I can do this and I know that turning an enemy into a temporary ally, regardless of if they want to eat our brains, is our best shot. I’m not trying to step on your toes here, Sherriff. But you should know by now that I am right by your side and I will do whatever the hell I need to do to make sure we win this.” She explained. 

A collective sigh bounced from one person to the other followed by a few moments of silence and Rick finally returned to his seat beside a worried looking Hershel. After running his hands through his hair, he snatched the map from the other end of the table and began scribbling down notes. 

“OK, so we need to call a meeting tomorrow morning, discuss everyone’s role and posts and start figuring out how we’ll be able to up and leave this place in seconds and make it look deserted.” He said, almost to himself as he worked away noting everything in his head down on the paper. 

“Ty, after the meeting, we’ll clear that gymnasium.” Lena said to Tyreese, he nodded and smiled. 

“No problem” he replied.

“I’ll see you guys in the morning!” She said breezily as if they were planning a tea party. She climbed the stairs and walked out into the cool, crisp night air. 

 

Daryl was half asleep in the cell when Lena arrived back in the block. She sat on the bed at the side of him and watched as he slowly turned his head to her and opened his eyes. He looked tired and his hair was messy, grazing over his forehead and across his eyes. His sleeveless shirt was unbuttoned halfway down and his boots had been kicked off onto the floor. The room was dark, with just the dusty, filtered light that the high ceiling window let in and Lena loved how it illuminated the ripples of his arms. 

She gently slid a hand across his skin from his shoulder to his forearm as she settled next to him on the bed, her knees drawn up and her back against the wall. He turned over and tickled his index finger along her arm. 

“Hey” he rasped sleepily. 

“We got a plan” She whispered, brushing his hair from his face “But I’ll explain in the morning”

He grumbled and attempted to sit up, only to be pushed back down by Lena. 

“Sleep. We got a busy day ahead of us.” She cooed. 

He began tugging at her clothes and pulling her closer to him. She removed her top and shuffled her jeans down her legs, laying facing him in just her underwear and kissing his forehead gently. He draped an arm across her waist and traced lines across the skin on her back before lifting his gaze to hers. 

“Sure ya wanna sleep here?” He asked. 

She frowned at him and pulled back slightly. 

“Why wouldn’t i?!” She questioned. 

He hesitated and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as he attempted to figure out the right response. 

“Ya know I get those…fucked up dreams.” He uttered. 

“I’m a brave girl, you don’t scare me, Dixon.” She hushed, gently.

He shifted closer to her, his fingers gripping into her skin at her waist. He inhaled through his nose, breathing her in before nuzzling into her neck. He fell silent and Lena listened to the quiet rhythm of his breathing, her fingers lay entwined in his hair and lightly resting on the side of his neck. She began to drift off, sleep creeping in from the far corners of her mind and making her eyelids heavy, her breaths deeper and her limbs limp. Daryl could feel her body relaxing under his arm and he sighed happily. Aside from the fact that she was wearing nothing but underwear, the experience of having her falling asleep next to him in bed was not only an entirely new one but also highly enjoyable. Unaware she had once fallen asleep beside him in the same bed, he was still under the impression that this was the first time he had ever allowed a woman to actually sleep with him. 

“Don’t deserve ya” He murmured into her neck and hair. 

Lena opened her eyes and ran her thumb across his rough jawline. She smiled at him, seeing a shy smirk in return. 

“And I don’t deserve you, but I guess we’re stuck with one another” She whispered, grinning broadly into the small space between them. 

He leaned into her and kissed her lips, caressing her tongue with his own and feeling himself harden at the sound of her happy moans. His hand journeyed down to her thigh and he pulled her leg up, positioning it on his hip and allowing his fingers to feel along the porcelain skin, back and forth in slow, swirling motions. 

Lena’s hands worked at the front of his shirt, unfastening it and pushing it to one side. Daryl paused to thread his arm through the item of clothing and quickly went back to stroking her leg. 

“I want ya” She heard him breathe between kisses.

Her heart was humming and her veins tingled with lust and excitement as she pinged his belt buckle open, noticing him start to press his erection into her hand. She closed her hand around him and smiled when he drew in a sharp breath and grunted in approval. 

He sat up and moved over her, his fingers now looping through the elastic in her panties but not moving them just yet. He continued to kiss her, smothering her lips and neck with hot, wet kisses as she writhed beneath him and rubbed his cock through his jeans. 

He pulled her bra straps down and lifted his head to look at her. His lips were parted, slightly pink around the edges and shiny with saliva. His breathing was shallow and quick. He remained still, his eyes locked on hers while she unzipped his jeans and pulled out his cock, pumping it slowly and grazing her thumb over the tip each time. 

His eyes rolled back and a low growl sounded out from his throat. He dipped his head and slid a hand around her between her back and the mattress and unhooked her bra as if he’d done it a thousand times before. He threw it to one side and his fingers rolled her nipple, resulting in her grabbing a fistful of his hair with her free hand.

Soon, his jeans were off and so was Lena’s underwear, their bodies mashed together in a delicious union. Daryl pushed his fingers into her slowly, curling them at the ends and hitting her spot. She arched her back and slapped a hand on his bicep, gripping at his skin as she fought to catch her breath and control of the humming, intense pleasure radiating from inside her. 

“Oh my god” she gasped, her cries of bliss now echoing around the cell.

“Ya so fuckin hot” She heard him say under his breath. The words were so quiet, Lena almost missed them. 

When he released his fingers, he lined himself up with her and pressed into her slowly, watching her face and reveling in her sweet, feminine groans as he filled her. She lifted her hips to meet him with every thrust, the two of them soon finding their rhythm. Lena gripped the sheets on either side of her, Daryl’s perfect pace meaning she felt a surge of delightful pleasure bubble from her core. 

“You feel so good” She uttered as she dragged her nails over the skin on his sweat covered back, ignoring the bumpy terrain of his scars. He’d looked her right in the eye as she spoke, biting part of his bottom lip and she wondered how he managed to get even more attractive with one, simple move. He swooped down to her, their lips crashing together and his tongue tangling with hers. He pulled back to see her staring at him.

“Ya alright?” He rasped, his hips still hitting into her at the same unfaltering pace. The sound of his question coupled with another determined stroke, caused her toes to curl and her tendons to tighten. She gripped him with her inner walls with every thrust and lifted a hand to his face, holding his hair away from his eyes. His breathy grunts and moans started to increase, which only served to heighten Lena’s arousal. 

“I love it when you bite your lip like that” She whispered, feeling him lift her hips up from the bed by placing an arm around her waist and putting his hand on the small of her back. He smirked down at her as began to push himself in as far as he could go, jutting his hips slightly every time he could thrust no further and sending fire sparking from Lena’s core. 

“Uh…oh god!” Lena exclaimed, surprised not only at this new move but also at Daryl’s confidence to execute it and at how incredible it felt. Every muscle in her body began to tense as the creeping, heavy pressure rose up from her core. An inferno raged in her veins and her skin tingled as her orgasm raged through her body. Her pussy clamped around his cock and he sat up and watched her convulse and twitch. The sight of her smooth chest sparkled wish sweat rising and falling, her toned stomach clenched with delight and her parted and gasping lips was enough to send Daryl on his way. Now he was slamming into her, holding himself up by one arm, his other hand smoothing along the curves of her body and holding her breast, his thumb bumping over her nipple. 

His body juddered as he reached his high and Lena flashed him a naughty grin as she felt him ejaculate inside her, his cock pulsing with warmth. His hand slammed against the wall above her and he let out a loud moan. Looking up at him, she felt her way down his torso with her hands, waiting for his trembling to subside. 

When he withdrew from her, he lay his head on her chest between her breasts and she wrapped her arms around him after plucking a sheet from beside them and draping it over them both. She brushed his damp hair with her fingers and sighed deeply, noticing his body still shaking slightly as his breathing returned to normal. Daryl’s finger moved in a circular motion around her nipple and he kissed the silky flesh. 

“OK, so I have something to tell you” She admitted.

He lifted his head to look at her and shifted to lay by her side, his head propped up by his elbow.

She lifted a hand, continuing to brush his hair with her fingertips as he snaked an arm over her waist and stroked along the side of her body under the sheet. He exhaled happily and fell still. 

“Um…” She started, unsure of how to word what was on her mind. “…I’m not open to many people and I’m distrustful. I’ve had to be disciplined about how I react to people. I’m really strong minded, some might say stubborn. But in you, I found my weakness.”

She stared at the ceiling as she spoke. He leaned down to her and feathered his nose across her cheek. 

“I tried so hard to stay away from you. To influence how you saw me, make you hate me so you’d leave me alone. But you always came back and even though I was an asshole to you, I know I was in denial.”

She licked her lips and sighed. Daryl studied her face and waited for her to continue speaking. 

“As much as I want to believe we can win this thing with the governor, some of us might die and it could be your or I. So, before I lose anyone else without having told them how I feel about them. I’m going to tell you now.”

She caught him nod from the corner of her eye. 

“M’listenin’.” he said.

“I don’t even really know when you became so important to me, I really like you. You make me happy. I just want you to know where I’m at, and…”  
She trailed off, summoning the courage to continue. 

“…I can’t stop the feelings I have for you. I lied to myself for a long time about it. I’m not asking you to reciprocate either. But I’m falling for you. There. I said it.” 

Daryl was silent as he watched her nervously flit her eyes around the ceiling. He could feel her tapping her thigh rapidly under the sheets. The side of his mouth curled up into a smile. He wanted to tell her so many things. How she calmed the chaos in his head. How every time he looked at her he forgot everything else, everything bad. How he thought she was way too good for him. But he struggled to find the words. He nibbled on his bottom lip as he thought of an appropriate response. Lena turned her head to look at him. 

“You don’t have to say anything” She assured him. 

“M’not great with words like you are.” He replied “But I aint gonna just say nothin’ to that.”

“Daryl-” She tried to protest

“Naw, just…just gimme a minute.” He hushed, rolling over onto his back and placing his arms above his head. Lena resumed her vigil of the ceiling while she balanced in limbo, anticipating what he was going to say next. She heard him release a loud sigh. 

“I think a lot, but I don’t say much” He confessed. “I guess I just don’t know how. I aint never had this before. Never thought I would. So, I aint had the practice.”

“Really, you don’t have to do this-” Lena responded. 

“-I want to” He interrupted. She turned her gaze back to him, twisting her body slightly so she was on her side. 

“I can’t believe that someone like you would ever feel somethin’ for someone like me” He said quietly. 

“You’re a good man, Daryl.” She hummed, running her hand over his chest. 

“M’not good enough for you”

She sighed in frustration. 

“I don’t want ‘good enough’. I just want you.” She stated. 

He caught her eye and squeezed the hand that was resting on his chest. 

“Ya already know I like ya. When I’m with ya, I forget all the shit. All the death. The violence. Everythin’. You make me forget” He said.

Lena grinned and moved closer to him, hooking her leg over his and kissing below his ear. 

“Good” She whispered. 

A silence followed as they lay enveloped in each other’s arms, the light from the ceiling casting a glow across the room. Lena thought Daryl had said all he wanted to say when he suddenly spoke again. 

“For the first time, I have someone that I fuckin’ hate leavin’. Someone that I can’t get enough of. Someone that accepts me. I wasn’t lookin’ for anythin’ when I met ya. It freaked me out and I wasn’t ready for all this. But ya made me feel alive. You’re the most smart and beautiful thing I ever saw and ya were so worth the damn wait.” 

She slowly pulled herself up so she could see his face in the low light, her lips parted and a shocked expression on her face. Her heart lurched when she replayed his words in her head, she hadn’t expected a full-blown confession from him, let alone one so honest and brave.

“Wow” She breathed “I’ll remind you of this the next time you tell me you’re not good with words.” She giggled softly. 

He smiled shyly and looked up at the ceiling. 

“I knew you liked me. I just-I wasn’t expecting that. That’s probably the most amazing thing anyone has ever said to me.”

He scoffed 

“C’mon, aint no need to lie.” He grumbled, failing to hide a smile. 

“I’m not lying!” She protested, giving him a light shove “Daryl…honestly…I can’t even fathom a response that will do what you just said any justice. I’m happy you feel that way and thank you for the compliments.” 

He laughed slightly. 

“No problem. Just don’t expect many heartfelt chats” He said “Now, go to fuckin’ sleep so I can wake ya up, hollerin’ at ya in the middle of a nightmare.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I finally got around to updating this! Thanks to those that are still with it! <3 some good stuff coming up in the next few chapters.

When morning arrived, the light poured in through the window in the ceiling, illuminating the whole block with a harsh, yellow glow. Lena had awoken to an empty bed. She stretched her muscles, enjoying the satisfying tingling in her limbs before sitting up in the bed and rubbing her eyes. She pulled the sheet up and wrapped it around herself, fashioning it into a dress. Daryl watched her from the doorway, fully clothed and a plastic mug of coffee in his hand. He noticed her ruffled hair, her sleepy eyes and the small red marks on her neck. Feeling a tinge of satisfaction at his handiwork. 

“Mornin’.” He rasped. 

Lena looked up in surprise, wondering how she didn’t notice his presence before. 

“Morning” She beamed back at him. He walked towards the bed and lowered the mug. 

“Coffee. Powdered milk but still…coffee” He shrugged. 

She gratefully took the mug and sipped the hot liquid. He was right, the milk left something to be desired but she was glad of the caffeine content. 

“So, I need to run this plan by you.” She said, patting the bed in front of her. He sat down, facing her and took hold of the sheet, sliding it down her chest. She reached out and snatched hold of it, raising her eyebrow. 

“No one else is awake yet” He stated “Think we got around a half hour”

Refusing to let go of the sheet, she took another gulp of coffee and narrowed her eyes at him. 

“A half hour to do what, exactly?” She asked. 

He smiled bashfully at her and she noticed his ears were pink in a classic display of shy Daryl. He let go of the sheet and huffed quietly. 

“Nothin” he mumbled. 

She reached down, placing the coffee mug on the floor next to the bed and shot him another suspicious look. His eyes flickered to her momentarily before falling to his lap, where he picked at a rip in his jeans. Feeling slightly guilty that she’d embarrassed him, Lena crawled towards him and grabbed his chin with one hand while holding up her sheet dress with the other. She turned his head to her and kissed him roughly. He responded straight away, cupping her face and bringing a knee up to kneel on the bed. She moved backwards slightly, allowing him more room while his lips travelled down her neck. 

“I have to…tell…” She gasped as he moved back up, linking his index finger over her bottom lip and pulling it down gently.

“Mm?” He grunted 

“I have to tell you…The pl-” She tried before he kissed her again, stopping her from speaking. Their breathy exchange and the sound of the sheet being thrown away whirling around in her mind. After a halfhearted struggle with her lack of willpower, she gave in and unbuckled his belt and jeans, scrabbling at the zipper and moaning at the sensation of his fingertips tracing delicious, wavy lines over the skin of her thighs. She positioned her legs either side of him and saw him look down at her and lick his lips, as if he were a predator about to devour his prey. 

He was now free of the confines of his pants and Lena wrapped her fingers around him, feeling his cock turn rock hard at the same time as he pushed two fingers inside her. She raised her hips slightly as a brilliant, thrumming wave of pleasure shot through her body from between her legs and she gripped onto him harder, feeling his fingers begin to beckon and slide in and out of her. He leaned forward, bracing himself on the pillow beside her head and began licking and kissing at her chest. 

“You’re...dis-distracting me” She gasped, her mouth curling into a smile. 

He covered her collarbone with small, light kisses and continued up to her neck, pushing his fingers into her further and rubbing over her clit with his thumb. 

“Ya want me to stop?” He breathed into her ear. 

“I didn’t say that” She purred.

Just as Daryl was about to step up his game, someone pounded on the outside door of the block, sending a booming echo through the hall and into the main area. 

“God dammit” he cursed, retreating from her and sitting up between her legs. Although he’d made his irritation known, his eyes never left her naked flesh below him until the banging on the door got even louder. 

She wriggled out from under him and sat up, kissing him gently. 

“We’ll pick up where we left off later.” She grinned, getting off the bed and dressing as quickly as possible. 

Daryl followed suit, not wanting to be caught in another compromising position. When she was dressed, Lena ran out of the room and down the hall to the door, turning the key in the lock and heaving the entrance open with all her might. Bright sunlight beamed in and hurt her eyes, her hand flying up to her face as a shield. 

Sasha was stood in front of her holding a rifle and sporting a big grin. She informed Lena that Rick had sent her to retrieve them for a meeting. As she stepped aside, Lena could see the entire group sat on the bleachers in the sun.

 

At the meeting, Rick and Lena stood and addressed the group while everyone else sat and took in the information. Rick was halfway through explaining the plan when Lena started to curse herself internally for allowing Daryl to distract her earlier on in the morning. She had wanted him to tell him certain things herself. She swallowed hard as Rick began to talk about the Walkers behind the gate and saw Daryl suddenly sit up straight from the corner of her eye. 

“What?!” She heard him exclaim loudly. 

“I said, Lena will be behind the gate with the Walkers.” Rick said. 

Daryl stared at Lena, his mouth agape. She could see one or two others with the same look. 

“Naw! Ya aint serious?!” He asked Lena. 

Before she could answer, Rick stepped in. 

“I know it doesn’t seem like the best idea, but we’ve discussed this and Lena has assured me that she’s capable of seeing this part of the plan through.”  
Daryl looked from Rick back to Lena, his expression shocked and she could tell there was a hint of anger in there too. 

“What the fuck?! Have you lost ya damn mind?! You could die in there!” He cried. 

Carol shot him a worried look from across the bleachers, aware that his loud and concerned reaction was becoming very telling to the others. 

“I agree, that’s crazy” Sasha agreed “We can’t let you do that, Lena.”

She sighed deeply and slowly stepped forwards, holding her hands out in front of her, palms facing her audience. 

“Look guys, this thing with the Governor? It’s not just going to go away. It’s big, huge in fact and we could all die unless we take some risks. Take a look around…” She said, gesturing to the Walkers wandering about outside the fences. 

“…You step outside, you risk your life. You take a drink of water, you risk your life. You don't have a choice. The only thing you can choose is what you're risking it for. I know how dangerous this is, but I have done it a million times before and I’ll be covered in Walker guts so they won’t even know I’m there.”

Rick was nodding along beside her and she was grateful for the much-needed show of solidarity. 

“I have faith in you, young lady.” Hershel offered “But if this all goes south, you will perish in there and there will be nothing I can do to help you.”

She nodded and smiled at him. “I know, doc. I appreciate the vote of confidence though”

“Once Lena releases the Walkers from the gate, we expect the Governor’s men to filter back out into the yard, distracted and trying to avoid being bitten. That’s when we’ll be at our posts, we’ll open fire. Hershel, Carl, Beth and Judith will go to the Gymnasium in the other block and will be able to get out on the other side of the prison should they need to.” Rick finished. 

Lena’s eyes flickered over the group. Glenn and Maggie were sat, hand in hand, taking in every word Rick said to them. Carol was bouncing Judith on her knee but her face was downcast and she didn’t seem to be focused on anything in particular. Hershel, who had his arm around Beth’s shoulders, had glanced at Tyreese, who have him a half smile and carried on listening to Rick. Carl was fiddling with his oversized sheriffs hat and Daryl was sat forwards, his elbows rested on his knees and his hands balled up into fists. 

“Tyreese, Lena and Daryl will clear the gymnasium today. Everyone else, we have to be prepared to drop everything and leave at a moment’s notice. So, your cells need to be cleared and your stuff packed in case you have to run to your post at any time.” Rick instructed. “I’ll discuss with you all individually about who’s posted where”

Daryl suddenly sprang from his seat and stormed across the yard to the other block. Lena caught Carol’s eye and she flicked her head in his direction, motioning for Lena to follow him. She set off in pursuit of him, feeling herself flinch when he flung the door to the block back so hard it rattled loudly on its hinges. 

She raced along behind him, eventually catching up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, his face enraged and she recoiled straight away. 

“This is bullshit!” He snapped. 

“Daryl, It’s our best shot. I know I can do this. It’s going to be OK.” She cooed. 

“Ya don’t know that!” He yelled. He turned his back to her and began pacing back and forth, running a hand over his face. “Merle, he’s gone. I can’t…I can’t lose you too. I waited so fuckin’ long for this, for you.”

Lena stepped closer to him and held his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. 

“I need you to trust me and believe that I can do this.” She said sternly. “This is our best shot. I’m going to be OK, you have to believe that.”

He locked eyes with her and instantly seemed to calm, sighing and nodding. He leaned forwards and rested his forehead on her shoulder as she moved her hand around to the back of his head and stroked his hair. 

“I promise that if everything gets hairy in there, I’ll get the hell out. I have something else to live for now.” She assured him. 

He lifted his head and nodded at her once. The sound of someone else coming through the main door echoed down the hall and Daryl quickly leaned into her and kissed her before their visitor saw them. 

Tyreese arrived in the room carrying a large knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. He grinned at them as he entered the room.

“Are we ready to do this thing?” He beamed. 

Lena ducked into her cell and retrieved her weapons while Daryl collected his crossbow from the table beside him. 

“Sure are” He said. 

 

It took them over an hour to clear the gymnasium. Lena had counted twenty-seven Walkers in various states of decomposition. Some were unable to walk far or had limbs missing which worked in their favor and allowed them time to focus on the more able-bodied corpses, taking them out first and then working their way through the rest. The large room was full of bunk beds bolted to the floor.  


Tyreese was covered in sweat from jumping and swiping at Walkers, wiped his brow with the back of his hand and looked at the Walker-covered floor around him. Blood and rotten body parts littered the shiny, highly polished floor. Daryl was collecting his bolts from the heads of some of the faster Walkers that needed to be put down quickly and Lena used a rag from her pocket to wipe congealed blood from her swords. It had been a success and they now had somewhere to retreat to if they needed it. Lena quietly observed the heavy double doors at each end of the room and felt confident that Hershel, Carl, Beth and Judith would be safe enough. 

When everything was clear, Lena made her way to the dark hallway which contained hundreds of Walkers trapped behind a gate. She tilted her head to the side as she stood before them, the metal bars being the only things separating her from certain death. She placed the key in the lock of the gate and attempted to turn it. When it made no sound, she inhaled in approval. Nice and quiet, she would be able to sneak in with them without attracting much attention. The smell, while initially pungent and almost unbearable, was something that Lena was becoming used to, much to her disgust. She knew she had to get out of this without getting bitten, not just for her own sake, but for Daryl too. 

 

In the days that followed, everyone was living out of bags and was careful not to leave anything carelessly discarded that might be needed should they have to up and leave at a moments notice. 

It was late evening in the main block, Lena and Daryl sat at the top of the stairs, opposite each other. Daryl helping her sharpen her blades while she religiously checked the stitching on all of her holsters. The rest of the group milled about below, finishing their meal and talking quietly amongst one another. Daryl had been quiet with Lena and she sensed there was some underlying anger simmering that she had volunteered to put herself in such direct danger. But Lena saw it as they were all in danger, all the time. However, she did understand his rage, admitting to herself that if the tables were turned, she would be pretty pissed at Daryl too. 

“You still mad at me?” She asked quietly so none of the others could hear. 

He glanced up from his sharpening task and briefly looked around at the others, checking no one was watching them.  


“I aint mad at ya.” He replied. 

She placed the gun holster she was working on in her lap. 

“You’ve been really off with me. I know you don’t like the plan. I wouldn’t if It was you.”

He carried on sharpening the blade clasped in his hand. “Don’t mean to be off with ya.”

“We haven’t even picked up where we left off the other day. You’ve barely touched me” She mentioned casually, side glancing at him. His hands stopped moving and she saw him release a subtle huff as he looked down sadly. 

“M’sorry” He mumbled.

“Do you still want this to be a thing? Because if you don’t, I need to know.” She told him. 

His head snapped to the side and he gave her a confused look. “Don’t think that.”

She leaned over suddenly and took hold of the tools in his lap, slamming them loudly on the metal steps they were sat on. The sound rattled through the concrete and metal room and was actually louder than she had anticipated. She then took hold of the holster and placed it next to them. She quickly flicked her eyes to the rest of the group, who were all looking up at her and then to Daryl, who was regarding her with a baffled and slightly shocked expression. She shifted closer to him and seemingly without a care in the world, placed a hand on the side of his face and planted a long, lingering kiss on his lips. He went completely rigid in her grasp but eventually began to relax when he realized that he was becoming powerless to her kisses. He heard Maggie and Beth clapping and cheering from below. Lena had deliberately made a show in front of the others after specifically saying that she wanted to keep things under wraps. She was willing to shove her beliefs aside to make the point that she wanted to be with him. When her lips left his, he was visibly bashful and the tips of his ears had turned a deep shade of pink. He looked down into his lap, not yet brave enough to survey the reactions of everyone else. Lena grinned and looked down at the others. Maggie, Beth and Carl were all in a huddle, gossiping. Carol and Rick sat side by side along with Hershel, all sporting knowing looks on their smiling faces and Tyreese was looking at Glenn as if he was the only one who didn’t know what had been going on. Lena let out a small giggle and shuffled up next to Daryl, who was still hiding behind his hair and looking down. She took his hand and leveled her lips with his ear.  


“Sorry, I should have asked you.” She said. 

He finally looked up, his skin was flushed but he was smiling. “Thought ya didn’t want folks to know yet?” He muttered at her.

“A woman reserves the right to change her mind at any time.” She winked at him. “Seriously, This Governor thing…we could lose. We could all be dead next week so I don’t want to fuck around anymore. I already feel like I wasted so much time pushing you away when I should have been doing the opposite.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Alright” He said, squeezing her hand. She leaned into him again, kissing him once more and this time feeling that his reaction was much more relaxed. He threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her closer.

“Get a room, guys” Glenn quipped from below. A chorus of giggles rose from the lower level and Daryl could tell Lena was smiling into their kiss.

 

Her eyes flickered open and for a few seconds she had no idea where she was or why she was there. Until she saw Daryl next to her, fast asleep and clutching onto her hand on his chest. Then she remembered, she was in a prison cell. As she gently slid her hand from underneath Daryl’s, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She could hear the faint sound of someone yelling from outside. She froze to the spot and turned her ear towards the sound, straining to hear the small but high-pitched noise. Someone was definitely shouting. 

She jumped out of bed and began frantically pulling on her clothing and weapons. Daryl stirred and sat up. 

“What is it?” He asked sleepily. 

“I can hear yelling.” She replied sharply. 

Daryl followed suit and swung his legs off the bed, standing up and tugging his jeans on. Once Lena was dressed, she raced off to the door.

 

Outside, Sasha was screaming at the top of her lungs from the Guard tower, running from side to side with a rifle in her hands. Some of the group had spilled out into the yard and Lena clocked Rick from the corner of her eye. 

“Everyone retreat!” Sasha yelled “Now! Get to your positions!”

Outside the fences, the beams of headlights could be seen flickering through the trees in the distance and Lena could feel the familiar sting of fear crawling over her skin. Sasha was still screaming but everything started to move in slow motion inside Lena’s head. Her vision blurred and she squinted and shook her head. 

“SASHA! Get down here now!” She called up to the tower, seeing the rifle vanish inside. 

To her left, she could see Daryl throw a rope around Cleo’s neck and drag her into the stable. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Carl and Beth hurrying over to their block with Hershel puffing along behind them, clutching Judith to his chest. Turning her attention back to the gate, she could hear the loud thudding footsteps of Sasha’s boots on the steps before she came tumbling out of the tower. Rick had crossed the yard to meet her and Lena ran up to her. She was out of breath and panicked. 

“Trucks, five of them. We have around five minutes.” She spluttered, leaning forwards and catching her breath. 

Lena looked at Rick and now Daryl who had joined them, crossbow poised in his hands. 

“Go, get to your positions.” She said to them all. 

“When you get out of there, swing by to Daryl on the far side, we’ll need your firepower and close combat.” Rick affirmed. “Lena? Good Luck.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. She nodded politely and Rick and Sasha sprinted into the block. 

“I’ll be OK” She said to Daryl, who was giving her the most heartbreaking look she had ever seen. “I’ll be back with you before you know it.”

He said nothing, only pulling her into a quick, rough kiss. “You’re the best thing in my life. Be careful.” Was all he said while he backed away from her and followed the others. Lena quickly glanced at Cleo’s stable, hoping that Daryl’s reinforced new design would hold up and protect her. But she had no time to waste pondering over the details. She turned on her heels and ran in the direction of the block. 

 

When she reached the gate, she was glad she had pre-prepared and hung up a guts covered poncho on a nail in the wall. She had cut hole in the back to allow her to reach for and unsheathe her swords and she was able to reach all of her other weapons under the fabric. She flung the garment over hear head and tied her bandana around her face tightly before turning the key in the lock as quietly as possible. The Walkers behind the gate shuffled at her, pushing and shoving but soon losing interest when they couldn’t smell any live flesh. She stepped into the throng of rotting corpses and gently closed the gate. 

Minutes passed and she could now hear noises coming from the nearby hallways. The Walkers around her had started to stir and her heart was beating so fast she was sure they could hear it. Hushed whispers and light footsteps echoed down the halls and Lena positioned herself in the middle of the gate, her hand clamped over the middle bar, ready and waiting.  
To her absolute delight shadowy figures began to emerge from around the corner at the far end of the hallway. Becoming clearer and louder as they approached. Two men at the front followed the The Governor. 

“Can’t go any further, boss.” One of them whispered.

“Wait.” He replied, stepping around them and squinting into the dark mass of festering flesh. “What the...?”

Lena was stood completely still, one hand on the middle bar of the gate, the other firmly and visibly held through the bars, middle finger extended. His brow furrowed at the sight and his eyes widened as it dawned on him who she was. She brought her hand back and up to her bandana, tugging it down to reveal a wide and sinister grin.  


"Hi. Shithead." She whispered with glee. 

“Shit. Hold your fire and fall back” Richard whispered

Lena shoved the gate open and took a flare out of her camo pants pocket. She lit it and threw it in their direction. Walkers spilled out of the gap and trundled towards the group.  
“Fall back!” She heard him shout as gunfire rang out all around her. She pulled her bandana back up and slowly drew her swords, catching the attention of a Walker that was passing her. It stopped beside her and snarled, its lower jaw missing. Her heart jumped into her throat as two others stopped and turned to her. She gripped her swords tightly and slowly weaved her way through the masses, the stares of the three Walkers that were suspicious of her not going away.


	24. Chapter 24

By the time she had reached the back of the heaving throng of Walkers, their attention had left her and been focused on the sounds of gunfire that were bouncing from the walls and ringing out through the hallways. She slowly followed them out of their cage and patiently let them lead her out into the communal area of the prison, followed by the yard. 

Shots, bangs and yelling were all around her, thrumming through her mind and she struggled to focus on what direction to run in at first. Daryl. She had to run to Daryl. She holstered her swords and withdrew a pistol from her belt. Grabbing the nearest walker in front of her, she dug the barrel of the gun into the back of its head and pulled the trigger. Its body slumped forwards but she held on behind it, using it as a shield as she shuffled along the walkway outside the door to the block. The light was low, the sun had dipped below the trees and smoke and noise made everything hard to decipher. Approaching the open space, she ducked her head behind the dead walker and prayed no bullets would reach her through the corpse. 

“Lena!” She heard Daryl yell from somewhere. She whirled around, her eyes flickering from one position to another. Carol and Maggie up on the bridge between the two blocks, Rick, Tyreese and Glenn at various positions across the yard. Sasha above Cleo’s stable, sniping from behind wooden logs. _Where was he?_

“Lena!” There it was again. He was calling her. Only now, his voice had mingled in with at least two others that were calling her name. Everything was becoming blurry. Bullets whizzed past her head and she ducked further, raising her gun and spotting one of the governor’s men sprinting across the grass to an armored truck. She began shooting, over and over until the final bullet in the chamber hit her target in the side of the head. He was down. Still clutching the dead body in front of her as a shield, she began to run in the direction of Daryl’s voice. When he finally came into view, he had lunged out from a stack of wooden crates and grabbed her arm, shoving her away from her shield and into the small space while taking out another assailant with his crossbow. He crouched down next to her and did a double take when he realized he hadn’t checked her for bites. 

“Ya bit?” He asked. 

“Nope” she replied casually as she unclicked a grenade from her belt. She handed it to Daryl and he looked down at it in her hand. 

“You have stronger arms than me” She grinned. “Blow the bastard up.”

He took the grenade from her hand and closed his fingers around it. Walkers trundled past their hiding place groaning and trailing guts and limbs behind them as they feasted on the men and women that had turned up to slaughter the group. Lena withdrew her swords and caught Daryl’s eye. 

“I’ll distract them, you throw that party popper at the middle truck.” She suggested. 

“Ya gonna be alright?” He asked. 

“All you have to do is throw it, then you can help me kill as many Walkers and people as possible. So, yes, I’ll be OK.”

He hesitated for a moment before nodding and allowing her to shuffle past him, her long coat scraping along the floor under her rancid, gore covered poncho. She stood and walked bravely out from behind the crates, her head held high. She soon stumbled back at the sudden, loud and violent boom of an explosion in the tower. Debris and fire rained down around them and she heard cries of surprise from behind her and cursing from Daryl. Steadying herself on her feet, she noticed a head emerge from over the middle truck’s cab. 

The Governor. 

She raised a hand, palm up as if to express her indifference before turning it over and flipping him the bird. She flashed him a sinister grin as she began slashing at everything in sight. A walker’s head, thudding to the ground and rolling down the sloped ground. The chest of a man with a jammed assault rife who was struggling in front of her. Two more Walkers, a sword through each of the bottom of their jaws. 

“Cover Daryl!” She screamed at Rick, Tyreese and Glenn who were dotted around behind her. They began to focus on everyone with a gun pointed at Daryl and every Walker around him. 

Daryl was standing in front of the crates. He discarded the pin and threw the grenade as hard as he could, feeling a sense of triumph when it landed in the middle of the truck. The governor and four others quickly jumped from the vehicle as another blinding explosion wracked through the yard from the truck. 

“Shit” Daryl cursed, his eyes scanning the yard for Lena, who by now had created a path of dead bodies and was covered from head to toe in blood. She was now equipped with one sword and her reloaded pistol and was intermittently shooting at shuffling Walkers as the Governors soldiers retreated into the remaining trucks. 

“They’re leavin!” Daryl called out to Rick, popping a corpse in the head with his crossbow as it went to grab him from his left. 

Lena started running towards the gate, only to be stopped by Daryl grabbing the back of her coat. 

“What the hell are ya doin?!” he cried.

“Going after him” She muttered. 

“No.” He snapped, taking hold of her arm. “Just…no.”

She shrugged him off and glared at him. “I won’t let him see me, I just need to know what he does.”

“Then I’ll go with ya.” He grunted. 

“Fine” She huffed, “C’mon.”

The two of them got into the closest car and set off, following the headlights that flickered along the trees in the distance. 

 

Daryl hadn’t realized his fingers were tightly wrapped around Lena’s wrist as they both kneeled in the tree line, watching the governors remaining soldiers yell at one another in the middle of the road. She looked down at his hand. 

“Daryl…you're restricting the blood flow to my hand. It's going to drop off if you don't let go.” She smiled. 

He immediately released her wrist. “Sorry” He mumbled. 

“We never agreed to kill people!” One fiery haired woman was shouting at The Governor. “Killing the biters is fine, but people…I’m not good with that!” 

“Yeah, man. I’m not doing this anymore.” A man agreed from behind her. “I’m out”

Philip calmly dipped an arm into the truck next to him and brought out a machine gun. The air was sucked from Lena’s lungs as he opened fire on everyone stood in front of him. Only sparing the lives of the two men behind him. The noise rattled through her mind and her skin crawled. Blood sprayed over vehicles and bodies collapsed to the ground. Daryl resumed his grip on her arm. This guy was an out and out psychopath. 

“What the hell?” Daryl whispered. 

Lena closed her eyes and turned her head away from the scene towards Daryl and he brought a hand up and placed it on the side of her face. 

After murdering everyone in his convoy, The governor and the two remaining survivors, got back into a truck and carried on along the road.

 

Upon their return to the prison. The group had been busy. The gate had been repaired well enough to stop any Walkers from getting through and Lena was delighted to see that Cleo was unharmed and being fussed over by Beth and Sasha. Bonnie was also still in one piece and was swaying about at her spot by the fence, seemingly having escaped every bullet. 

Rick looked weary as he thudded across the gravel towards Daryl and Lena. His face was covered with sweat and dirt and he shoved his gun into it’s holster at his hip and sighed when he came to a stop in front of them.  
“He didn’t go back to Woodbury. We checked. He murdered all of his soldiers except two men and drove off. We don’t know where he went.” Lena told Rick, her face solemn and encrusted with dried blood. Her hair had also turned a deep shade of red. 

“Alright. We’ve fixed the fences enough for the night, tied some walkers to it, hopefully it’ll deter any that are coming from mile around because of the noise. You two OK?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” Daryl replied “Anyone hurt?”

“No, miraculously.” Rick affirmed. 

“I’m going to take a shower.” Lena announced as she began to walk to the block. 

“Hey, Lena.” Rick called after her. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. 

“You were right. Your plan. Great job, it saved our lives.” He said, Daryl nodded behind him. 

“Thanks” She smiled. 

 

The water was cold, but not freezing. She put that down to the tanks being heated by the sun all day. She was grateful for the lukewarm feel to it. Looking down at her feet, the red water whirl pooled over the plughole and she breathed deeply as she watched it filter away and the color vanish. Her joints ached and she felt like she could take a long nap right about now. She ran her hands through her hair, skimming over her dreads and scrubbing at her scalp, wanting to leave no trace of any walker DNA. 

As she stood there under the lukewarm shower, she wondered if this was it, if The Governor would even try again with no army behind him. The chances were slim and even if he did he would need time and resources. Without going back to Woodbury, that was nigh on impossible. She also thought about Daryl, how withdrawn and moody he had been in the last few days since knowing of her plan and how tightly he had gripped her wrist in the woods as they watched the Governor’s mass murder. It was obvious to her that she meant a lot to him but she was still not quite used to having to consider someone else’s thoughts and feelings when making decisions. 

The door clicked shut behind her and Daryl turned the key in the lock. She would have shrunk away and fought to cover herself up if it were anyone else. Instead, she stood under the water and watched him shed his clothes. He walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms, flinching slightly at the coldness of the water before getting used to it. 

“Thought I was gonna lose you.” He whispered in her ear as he pinned her to his chest in a tight embrace. 

“Not getting rid of me that easy, Crossbow.” She replied, leaning back and looking up at him. 

His hands traced over her wet skin and she pushed his hair from his face, kissing him as the water cascaded down onto them both.

 

Night had drawn in an everyone was exhausted. Lena had been out to see Cleo, checked her over, fed her and spent some time whispering to her and soothing her out of her skittish mood after her stable was peppered with gunfire. She was grateful for Daryl’s efforts in reinforcing the walls, it had protected her well and Lena couldn’t see one part of the wall that any bullets had penetrated on the inside. Cleo had settled on the floor with her legs bent out to one side of her rounded body. Lena settled in front of her head and kissed between her eyes. 

“You’re a brave girl” She hummed. 

A light knock on the door stirred the horse slightly but she remained still, her head only moving so she could see the door. Rick stepped inside hesitantly. 

“Hey” Lena smiled. “Come on in, sit down.” She patted a hay bale beside her. 

He slowly walked over so as not to startle Cleo and lowered himself onto the hay. 

“You OK?” He asked “No injuries?” 

“Not so much as a scratch. Just some aching bones from exhaustion.” She smiled. 

“Good.” He nodded, leaning forwards and running a hand over Cleo’s nose. She snorted lightly at him and pushed her head closer. He took that as her encouraging him to continue, so he did, ticking from between her ears down to her nose. She eventually fell completely still again as Rick grinned down at her. 

“I wanted to run something by you. Just spoke to Daryl.” He eventually said to Lena. 

“Shoot” She shrugged. 

“If the Governor isn’t at Woodbury, maybe we should go there, see if there are any people that need our help. We have plenty of room here. We could bring them back, grow our community.”

Lena furrowed her brow. “Why not move and go there? They have walls too. It’s just extra mouths to feed” She suggested. 

“Because if he does come back, we want him to come back to nothing. Besides, this group is settled here. The last thing we want is to uproot everyone again. We need to get back to being self-sufficient and the extra help would be good. The ground around here is perfect for it.” He explained. 

Lena ran her finger over one of Cleo’s front legs, up and down the fur as she thought. 

“What did Daryl say?” She enquired. 

“He agrees, we should go and get those that want to come back with us.”

 _More like you talked him into it. His sensitive side doesn’t always make the right decisions._ She thought. 

“OK” She said “We should go and ask them. Without their leader and not knowing what happened, they’re pretty vulnerable. He murdered a big portion of their community.”

Rick nodded and patted Cleo’s head as he stood. He placed his hands on his hips and looked down at Lena. 

“I’m glad you’re not hiding what’s going on between you and Daryl anymore. People here, they need something positive to hold on to.” He confessed. 

Lena also climbed to her feet and dusted the hay and dust from her camo pants. “Yeah, me too. Feel’s better to just, get it out there.” She replied somewhat bashfully and wondered why she had become so shy all of a sudden. 

“Alright, well it seems we’re all in agreement. Daryl and I are going to Woodbury in the morning, we’re taking the prison bus. Should be big enough but we might have to do two runs if there’s a lot of them.” He mused. 

“Sure. If you need me just ask.” She smiled. 

“OK, goodnight.” He nodded, turning and leaving the stable. 

 

In the morning, Lena sat nervously with Carol, Maggie, Beth, Carl, Glenn and Hershel. Sasha and Tyreese were down at the gate, keeping watch for any sign of Rick and Daryl in the prison bus. Now the front guard tower had been partially blown up, Rick had ordered everyone to stay away from it until he could decipher it was structurally sound. 

Lena nibbled on her fingernails above her fingerless gloves. She was fully equipped with all her weapons, long coat and bandana should everything go south for some reason or another. Having risen early in the morning to see Daryl off, her eyes stung with tiredness and her mind flashed back to when she had first woken to Daryl on top of her. 

He had kissed from her neck all the way down to her stomach, peeling off her clothes as he went. Her skin had tingled with delight and she had smiled hazily at the satisfied sounds he made as he worked over her body. Eventually, he had tickled patterns onto her inner thighs and licked his way to her folds, causing her heart to hammer and her muscles to tense while he pinned her hips to the mattress and groaned against her. She had lifted her legs, bending them at the knees to allow him better access and he held her there as she writhed with every flick of his tongue. When he changed tact and moved up over her, he had entered her slowly and she had moaned happily with every sensual thrust. She had gripped onto his biceps, steadying herself so she was able to meet him every time he pushed into her and when he had eventually breathed that he was close, she thought he couldn’t have timed it better.

Now, she sat back on the bleachers and waited with her vivid imagination and the pleasant feeling of the memory of him between her legs. She was his, and he’d made sure of that. 

The sound of an engine in the distance had Sasha and Tyreese yelling for the others. Lena shot to her feet and ran down the bleachers to the top of the hill, where the bus ground to a halt after being let through the gate. Lena could see lots of curious faces peering back at her through the window of the bus while the rest of the group huddled around her. 

“This is exciting!” Carol beamed, stepping forwards and standing by the door as Rick opened it from the driver’s seat and Daryl stepped out. Lena decided to hang back and observe as Daryl and Carol exchanged words.  
Carol greeted every single person who stepped down from the bus with a smile and a hand shake. There were men, women, children and elderly folk all wandering towards the prison with anxious yet grateful faces. Once the last person had left the bus, Daryl turned to Lena and edged his way through the crowd of people to her. He took hold of her face and kissed her, feeling her smile against him. When he broke away, he took hold of her hand. 

“Lena?” A male voice caught her attention. 

_I know that voice._ She thought 

“Lena!” 

Her eyes searched the crowd and stopped on a man that was pushing through people towards her. His long, dusty blonde hair tied back into a pony tail and his piercing blue eyes fixed on her. Her blood ran cold and she dropped Daryl’s hand. 

“Oh my god, Lena!” The man exclaimed when he was no more than four people away. 

“Who the hell-?” Daryl asked. 

The man reached her and flung his arms around her, his hand holding the back of her head. She shoved at him, sliding a blade from her forearm in the blink of an eye and holding it to his throat, her arm extended and straight. Everyone around them gasped and children began to scream, recoiling in fear and running away. He backed up and glanced down at the blade glinting in the sunlight. He held his breath. 

Daryl could see the crazed look in her eyes, the veins popping in her neck and her jaw pulled tight with teeth gritted. She had tilted her head back slightly and was looking down her nose at the man. her chest was rising and falling rapidly. 

“Lena” Daryl tried, slowly moving closer to her. “Who is this guy?”

She swallowed hard. The man remained completely rooted to the spot with fear. 

“This is Caleb. My husband.”


	25. Chapter 25

The part of her blade that wasn’t already covered in blood glinted as she held it steadily in her hand. Her entire body was completely still, her eyes enraged but focused. Caleb’s eyes were trained down on the weapon and his forehead glistened with sweat. People around them backed away to the buildings and Lena remained steady and determined. One flick of the wrist, that would be all it took to end this man’s life. For revenge. Because he broke her heart, cheated on her and left her to die. Daryl slowly inched towards them along with Rick, who had positioned himself on the other side of Lena. Daryl caught his eye and subtly shook his head. 

Let me handle this. 

While she looked like she’d almost lost control on the outside, on the inside she was calm, collected and controlled. If she had given into her instincts, Caleb would already be dead. 

“Lena” Daryl uttered, hovering his hand above hers, above the weapon gripped in her fingers. “Put the blade down.”

“L-Lena, what the fuck?” Caleb breathed. 

Without warning, she slammed her free hand into Daryl’s chest, shoving him away and ducked, swiping a leg under Caleb’s and bringing him to the floor in a crumpled heap. She stepped over him and kicked him backwards with a dusty boot on his shoulder, leaning down and pressing the blade into the skin of his throat. 

“Lena, Please” He pleaded. 

Daryl lunged at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, throwing her backwards and away from Caleb. Rick also surged forwards, positioning himself in between them both. She fought against Daryl’s grasp, kicking him and digging her elbows into him. But even with her anger fueled vigor, she was no match for the strength in his arms. He managed to hold her still enough to bring his face close to her ear. 

“Stop, Lena. It’s alright. Just stop.” He cooed as he felt her begin to weaken in his embrace. 

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” She hissed through her teeth. 

“Rick!” Daryl called out “Keep him away, get him into the block.”

But Rick was already helping Caleb to his feet and ushering him in the opposite direction. Daryl twisted Lena around in his arms, needing to make eye contact with her. She struggled again, straining against him and trying to run off in the direction of Rick and Caleb. It was only when they were safely inside the block and out of sight that Lena calmed considerably and finally allowed Daryl to turn her around. He moved his hands to either side of her face and leveled his gaze at her. 

“Look at me” He said “Seen enough death today. No more Death, alright? C’mon back in the block.”

She stared at him for a few moments before finally succumbing to her emotions. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and the air left her lungs in one, loud, heaving rush. She buckled over but Daryl was there to catch her.

“Hey, hey, c’mon s’alright. You’re alright.” He hushed while bringing her close to him and holding her there while sobs wracked her body. 

 

When darkness fell, Lena had finally emerged from the cell that she ended up inadvertently sharing with Daryl. She had refused to say a word for the entire day, choosing instead to use her brain power to meticulously clean and sharpen all of her weapons. Daryl knew it was some kind of ritualistic preparation for Caleb’s impending execution, but Lena wasn’t about to admit that. Still, he hadn’t left her side all day. Rick had visited the cellblock but Daryl had sent him away, telling him he would talk to him later and that he wasn’t about to leave Lena right now. As she sat on the grass in front of Cleo, who was rolling around on the grass in the moonlight. Daryl at her side. She wanted to talk to him, wanted him to tell her exactly what she should do and how she should feel. But everything was so complicated. 

“I thought he was dead.” She croaked. 

Daryl didn’t know how to respond. She had indeed expressed that she thought he was dead and was adamant that he wouldn’t show up one day. He raised an arm and draped it over her shoulders, drawing her to him and kissing the side of her head. Footsteps from the other side of the fence caught their attention and they both glanced to the right, Lena unwrapping herself from Daryl’s arm. He instantly placed a hand over hers on the grass when he realized it was Caleb. He stopped a few feet away. 

“Lena. Can we talk?” He gingerly asked, his hands shoved in his pockets. 

“Beat it, asshole” Daryl snapped.

Lena huffed loudly and got to her feet. “I’ll be back soon.” She said, looking down at a gob smacked Daryl on the floor. He scrabbled to his feet and took hold of her hand as she began to walk to the gate that separated the two yards. 

“Lena…” He started. She stopped and looked back at him 

“I don’t have any weapons on me” She told him. Giving his hand a squeeze. “I’m just going to talk to him.”

He let go of her hand and watched her walk through the gate and to her husband. 

 

Caleb backed up when she walked towards him, his stance defensive and his expression wary. She held her hands up, palms facing him in submission. 

“I’m not armed.” She mumbled. 

Her eyes swept over him. His thick, blonde hair in a ponytail, his muscular arms adorned with intricate tattoo sleeves and his big, blue eyes watching her. She had fallen easily for him, been swept off her feet by his charming one liners and ability to make her feel like the most important woman in the world. 

“It’s good to see you.” He sighed, his mouth curling up into a smile. “You look…different. Good though. ”

It was true, she did look different. She was stronger, more agile and her hair and style had changed, having made the shift from breezy boho to post-apocalyptic necessity. 

“You got dreadlocks.” He smiled “They suit you.”

She regarded him with complete indifference, her lip almost curling in disgust. Her mind flashed back to the moment she last saw him, leading his blonde side chick away from the gate by the hand as she frantically climbed a tree in an attempt to save her own life. She had sobbed with despair as the heaving mass of walkers below clawed at the tree and she sat there, all alone. 

“Lena, I’m sorry” He attempted. 

She scoffed loudly and chucked in disbelief. “That it? You’re sorry so I’m meant to just forgive you?”

“No, of course not. I-I just wanted you to know that…that I had to do what I did, or we all would have died.”

She wrapped her arms around her middle, lifting one hand and chewing on her thumbnail. 

“Turns out I’m not the pushover you thought I was. I survived. I climbed up into a tree and watched you lead your whore away.”

“Lena-”

“-Did you do it deliberately?” She asked, receiving a confused look from him. “Your jacket. Did you drop it deliberately?” 

He sighed and took a step closer to her, she shot a hand out to stop him. 

“You’d be wise to keep your distance or I’ll snap your fucking neck.” She warned. 

He nodded straight away and moved back to his original spot. 

“Lena, I promise you, it was an accident. I didn’t mean to drop it. God, I’m so sorry. I just looked back and thought there was no chance.”

She swallowed hard and glared at him. 

 

Daryl slowly led Cleo to her stable, watching Lena and Caleb’s exchange through the fence. Part of him wished he’d let her kill him, then he wouldn’t feel as if everything were about to be taken away from him after having gone through so much. The physical distance between them told him that Lena wasn’t about to forgive him, nor was she going to want to be anywhere near him. But something in the back of his mind reminded him that this woman he had been so patient with, the woman that had pushed him out of his comfort zone and made him feel worthy of affection, was still married to someone else.  
Cleo snorted and nuzzled at his arm and he gently brushed her mane to quiet her.  
“Easy, girl.” He cooed, tearing his eyes away from Lena and leading Cleo into her stable. 

 

Caleb took a chance, went out on a limb and decided the risk was worth whatever bad consequences followed. He stepped towards Lena again and tried to place his arms around her. Her fist shot out and clashed with his bottom jaw in an uppercut just hard enough that he stumbled backwards and clutched hold on his face. Her hand radiated with pain but it only served to give her something else to think about besides her emotional turmoil and anger.

“Told you to keep your distance”

“Jesus” He gasped “Forgot you’re a black belt… shit.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of. Should consider yourself lucky Daryl stopped me from killing you.” She growled. 

He shook his head and rubbed at his jaw, spitting blood onto the tarmac. Taking a deep breath and glancing over to Cleo’s stable in the yard, he saw Daryl close the wooden door and walk to the main door of the block. 

“So, that’s his name. Daryl. You moved on? With him?” He questioned.

Her eyes flickered away from him for a moment.

“That’s none of your fucking business anymore.” She retorted. 

“You’re my wife.” He stated, wiping at the blood that was trickling from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Our vows because null and void from the moment you decided to have sexual intercourse with someone else. I’m no lawyer but I’m also certain that leaving your spouse to be eaten by reanimated corpses is grounds for divorce.” She spat. 

“I thought we were over that, Lena. I thought we talked about it and got past it.” He urged. 

“No. I apologized for your poor choices. I apologized for you being a woeful husband. You know why? Because you manipulated me. You wound me around your little finger, got what you wanted and then decided you were bored. Now, I can see you for what you are and make no mistake, Caleb. I am not sorry anymore. If you’re going to live here, I’m going to propose that you live in the block with the others and stay away from this side of the prison.”

He sighed and held his hands out, shrugging. “That it? We’re going to live like strangers?”

“Yes” She barked back. 

He began to shift around on the spot, looking down at the ground and rolling his boot over the stones and loose gravel. She wanted to walk away. Just turn and leave him here. But something was rooting her to the spot. 

“I missed you so much.” He admitted, his voice now quiet. 

“Don’t.” She snapped. 

“Don’t what? Be honest with you?” He queried

“Don’t try and manipulate me!” She suddenly shouted. 

“It’s only manipulation if you feel something, Lena! I know you do!” He yelled back. 

She turned on her heels and started for the gate. 

 

Daryl had heard every word from his spot in the shadows between Cleo’s stable and the wall. Seeing her approaching, he quickly slinked along the concrete building and slipped into the hallway of the block, not wanting her to discover that he had been listening in. The last thing he wanted was for her to be angry at him for not letting her speak to Caleb alone. But he had to be sure she wasn’t going to kill him, which he had no doubt she could do with her bare hands. He also found himself staying put for his own peace of mind. He had waited a long time for her, and paranoia was slowly setting in. 

 

He was at a table in the middle of the block when she stormed back in and began pacing back and forth along the bars. Her camo pants made a swishing sound as she continued her stress induced circuit and Daryl could see that her chest was flushed red. She wiped sweat from her brow and stopped, slamming her hands against the bars of the cell. 

“Fuck!” She yelled, dropping to her knees and covering her face with her hands. 

Daryl shot up from his seat and went to her, squeezing her shoulder. She reached up and put her hand over his. 

“Get up. C’mon.” He coaxed, sliding his hand down and linking it under her arm, he pulled lightly and she reacted, rising slowly to her feet and turning to him. He brushed her cheek with his thumb and she curled her fingers around his wrist. 

“You alright?” He asked. 

She nodded sadly. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Why? Aint ya fault he was a jerk and now he’s turned up alive.” He told her. She sniffed and gently kissed his lips, breaking away and sitting down at one of the tables. Daryl remained where he was, only looking over his shoulder at her. She sat still and in silence for a while, her steady breathing mesmerizing him. Without her personal armory strapped to her body, she looked smaller and more vulnerable. She appeared thinner and her feminine shape was all the more visible. He loved her shape, the curve of her waist and the delicate slope from her neck to her shoulders. 

“Ya gonna go back to him?” He asked out of the blue. 

“Stop it” She replied in a whisper. 

He sat across from her, dipping his head and trying to read her expression. She started to tap her fingernail on the cold, metal surface which caused a rhythmic noise to echo around the quiet room. Daryl watched her, wishing he knew what was going through her mind but knowing she couldn’t put it into words. When she got up and grabbed his shoulder, he was taken by surprise at her rapid change in demeanor. She pushed at him, motioning for him to turn around in his seat. He complied and twisted his body around, peering up at her with uncertain eyes. She lifted her white tank top over her head and held out her hand to him. He settled his fingers in hers and she brought them to her lips, kissing them softly.

Daryl blinked in confusion. What was she doing? While he was baffled, he wasn’t about to stop her, especially when she straddled him and kissed him with such passion he felt himself groan against her. She reached inside his leather vest and it slid down his shoulders, he released his arms from it and let it drop to the floor while Lena quickly set to work undoing his shirt. He kissed at the side of her face, his lips ghosting her cheek and jawline but her face was almost blank, unfeeling and Daryl had noticed it. He held her chin between his thumb and index finger and forced her to look at him. 

“What are ya doin? What is this, Lena?” He asked. 

She was looking into his eyes but there was nothing in hers. He thought she was as beautiful as she always was, but it was like she had switched off. 

“I need…” She stared, her sentence vanishing before the words came out. She ignored her failed attempt and resumed kissing him and shoving his shirt over his shoulders.

“Lena” He breathed, now fighting the urge to just give in and let her do what she wanted. As her tongue swirled around his and he grew hard beneath her, it occurred to him that he had slid her bra straps down her arms and was fast becoming a slave to his desire. 

“I need…you to…” She tried to say between kisses. He unclasped her bra and discarded it, skimming a fingertip over her nipple. “Uh…I need…”

“What do ya need?” He growled, his lips now moving down, across her naked chest. 

“I need…you to…” She gasped when her licked over his nipples, one after the other “…distract me.”

He wrapped his arms around her and stood up. Her legs clamped round his waist. He turned around, positioning her on the table. His hands left her for a moment. Belt buckle undone, jeans down. She did the same. She felt exposed without his hands on her. She reached out to him, fingertips sprawling over his chest and stomach. He leaned her back, kisses and licks decorating her chest. Down to her navel, panties torn off. An insatiable need. She was ready. One single, hard thrust. Her breath caught, her mind raced. He pinned her to the table, a hand on her hip. Another sharp thrust. Another. Then another. His other hand found her hair, wound into it. He pulled it, her head snapped back. 

“Harder” She gasped. 

His hand moved from her hip, snaking around to the base of her back. Her legs pushed him closer to her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck. He slammed into her. Grunts with every, rough hit. Pain spiked between her legs. Pleasure radiating from her core. He was sweating, his neck and chest tainted red. He put a hand between her breasts and pushed. 

“Lay back” He panted

She did. The skin on her back tingling from the cold surface. His hands were now both on her hips. He leaned forward, driving deeper into her. She arched her back, strangled moans escaping her lips. Her fingers on his biceps, digging in, making crescent moon shapes. Stabbing pain with each intense clash of their bodies. More. She needed more. He leaned further over her, a hand moving to her shoulder and using it to wrench her closer every time. 

“Don’t stop” she ordered. “Please.”

He knew he couldn’t last much longer, the intense buildup of pressure from pushing so deep and hard inside her was almost too much. It was rough, obsessive, bordering on violent yet the sight of her beneath him on the table, begging for him, was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. He feathered a finger over her nipple again, enthralled when she drew her arms in and began copying his action on herself. 

_Shit. Not yet._ He thought. _Look away._

He continued to crash into her, averting his eyes slightly but to no avail, he was unable to quieten his own pleasure. Sweat rolled down his temples and his hair stuck to his face. Everything was getting warm and tingling. 

“Uh Fuck, I’m gonna come.” He puffed. 

As if he’d flicked a switch, her body went rigid before she shuddered powerfully and released a guttural growl. Her hands flew up and she covered her eyes with the backs of her fingers. He could feel her gripping around him, pulsing. She sat up, taking his bottom jaw in her fingers and kissing him. She nipped his bottom lip and caressed his tongue. His release happened as she was kissing him, leaving him breathing rapidly through his nose and groaning into her kiss. 

 

An hour later, Lena had curled up on the bed, her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them. Daryl sat in a chair opposite her, neither one of them had said a word since their passionate and sudden tryst which Lena had tried to repeat soon after, only to be stopped by Daryl, who was starting to find the whole thing a little unsettling. Daryl was carving bolts for his crossbow, keeping a watchful eye on Lena who had sat completely still for a worrying amount of time. 

“You OK?” He asked. 

“Stop asking me if I’m OK.” She responded. 

He put his knife down on the floor along with the bolts and leaned forwards, elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. 

“Ya aint talkin’. How else am I sposed to know?”

“I’m OK.” She mumbled as she picked at the corner of a pocket on the leg of her pants. 

“Alright, ya aint OK. I know ya aint ‘cause all ya wanna do is fuck.”

“Didn’t hear you complaining.” She commented. “Until you rejected me.” 

“I didn't reject ya because I don't want ya. I did it because it's gettin' fuckin weird. I aint complaining about gettin' laid. But I know you use sex to feel something other that what ya feelin’ now. Talk to me” He told her

“What are you, my shrink?” She spat, shooting him an irritated look. She shook her head and scoffed. A sarcastic smile spreading on her lips. She resumed plucking at her pants pocket. “Hardly Mr. Chatty yourself. Like getting blood from a stone trying to get information out of you and you want _me _to talk to _you_?”__

__He blinked at her, unable to believe how snappy she had become. He knew she was taking it out on him because he had refused her advances the second time around, no longer wanting to be distraction for her from her feelings._ _

__“It aint my fault he’s here, Lena.” He said quietly._ _

__She peered at him through the side of her hair. “I never said it was.” She uttered._ _

__“I got nothin’ here. I dunno how you feel about this. I dunno what to think.” He admitted._ _

__“You wanna know what I feel?!” She suddenly yelled “Confused! I feel so fucking confused right now, Daryl! I have so much hate inside me, so much seething fucking boiling hatred that I don’t know what to do with it. It’s like it seeps from my pores and sits in the pit of my stomach and I just…I just hate him. But there’s something else, and it’s eating away at me.” She was now facing him in the bed, her legs tucked under her and one hand threaded into the side of her hair. Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke. “It fuels my anger because I- I don’t want it. I don’t fucking want it. I looked at him and… and It occurred to me that I actually missed him.”_ _

__The bottom dropped out of Daryl’s world once the words had left her lips. The realization that she could end up going back to the man she was married to becoming more and more plausible by the second. He sat back in his seat and tilted his head back against the wall, exhaling loudly and closing his eyes. Lena got up from the bed and began strapping her weapons to her body._ _

__“What are you doin’?” He asked._ _

__“I have to get out of here. I can’t sit here anymore with-” The end of her sentence fell short as it dawned on her what she was about to say._ _

__He raised his eyebrows at her “With me?”_ _

__“That’s not what I meant.” She corrected._ _

__“It’s what ya were gonna say, aint it?.” He pressed. Watching her finish up with her leg holsters and shrug her coat on. She ignored his question._ _

__“Lena?” He continued.  
She grabbed her swords and snatched her bandana from the end of the bed and headed for the door. _ _

__Daryl stood as she left the cell, torn between following her and risking a potentially explosive reaction and staying put and letting her leave. The latter seemed the more reasonable option, thought it was no less painful. Hearing the door to the block slam shut, he sat back down and picked up a half-carved bolt. He turned it over in his hand before throwing it at the opposite wall with all his strength. A heave of emotion surged up and out of him causing him to release a subtle whimper of desperation. The wood of the bolt splintered and shattered onto the floor and Daryl sat and glared at it as if it were a perfect representation of their relationship. Not quite finished, yet splintering and breaking due to an unexpected force._ _


	26. Chapter 26

Days had passed since Caleb and the other migrants from Woodbury had settled at the prison. Another block was cleared and people had rallied together to build more structures in the prisons yards, especially the main one where Rick and his group lived. Daryl had remained in a separate block to everyone else, wanting to be as far away as possible from Lena’s husband.

She hadn’t been back to the cell since she’d left that day, her personal armory strapped to her and a look of steely determination to be far away from everyone. Daryl had no idea where she was sleeping, he only saw her during the days and sometimes of a night up in the partially rebuilt watchtower. She had tended to Cleo dutifully and single handedly brought more mules back to attach to the fences, keeping the Walkers at a safe distance. She went on runs, always alone except for Cleo and Daryl had watched her arrive each time with the horse’s saddle bags full to the brim with supplies. Her skin and clothes soaked with blood that was never her own.

He had not tried to talk to her, not tried to demand answers or stand in her way until she surrendered her feelings. He had kept his distance and watched. Waited. Seen things. An exchanged glance between ex-lovers. Short words exchanged. A door held open. A woman more beautiful than any he had seen, watching her husband from a tower when she thought no one could see her and he wondered if she actually slept alone at all.

Five nights had passed and they had practically become strangers. She had turned up in the middle of the night, sitting on the side of his bed. He was jolted from his light sleep and startled to find the shadow of a woman looking over him.

“I want you to know something.” She had whispered, her fingertips grazing over the skin of his forearm. He had closed his eyes for a few seconds while he fought the urge to wrap his arms around her. But he only sat up and listened, being careful not to do anything that could cause her to flee into the night like a startled deer.

“I care about you. More than I care about anyone else.” She told him.

He then reached out with some trepidation, gently pushing a few strands of hair behind her shoulder as he observed her silhouetted figure in the darkness. She stood quietly and paused in the middle of the cell.

“Why’d you go?” He had found the courage to ask.

“I need time” was her response before she left almost in the blink of an eye.

 

*****

 

Lena had been in the tower for four hours and in that time had managed to make an impressive house of cards on the table until the door slammed at the bottom of the stairwell and the playing card house had tumbled and scattered to its demise. She leaned back on her chair and rolled her eyes. Heavy Footsteps climbed the metal walkway and she hoped it wouldn’t be Daryl. When she glanced over her shoulder, she realized the visitor was ten times worse.

Caleb stopped at the top of the stair case. A bowl clasped in his hand. His long, blonde hair hung about his shoulders and his tight, black, sleeveless T-shirt was the first thing that Lena noticed. He always did have impressive, tattooed arms and abs she could probably wash her clothes on.

 _Don’t get distracted. He’s an asshole._ She told herself.

“Brought you some food, Carol says it’s been hours since she’s seen you eat something.”

Refusing to look at him anymore, she turned her head away and began plucking cards from the table and placing them into a pile.

“You can set it down on the table to your right. Then you can leave.” She snapped.

A brief silence was followed by the gentle thud of a bowl hitting a wooden surface, then came a loud and frustrated sigh.

“You ever going to talk to me?” He asked.

“I told you, stay away from me.” She replied quickly.

More heavy footsteps thumped across the concrete floor as Caleb entered her peripheral vision and sat down on a rickety chair next to her. She could see his green, camouflage military pants and his bulky, black boots. She slapped the cards down onto the table and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. His stubborn streak ever present.

“Still not so hot on taking hints, huh?” She muttered, hearing him laugh quietly to himself. Irritation flashed through her mind and she whirled to her side, her fingers gripping the arm of the chair.

“I can’t work out if you’re stupid or brave coming up here” She spat.

“Oh, that’s right.” He chucked “You’re some kind of dreadlocked ninja now, right?”

“Fuck you” She huffed, angrily getting to her feet and beginning to pace up and down the railings. The sun was starting to set, beams of light shooting over the trees and the sky turning into a water colored painting of oranges, pinks and reds.

“Y’know, you’re quite the celebrity around this place.” Caleb informed her, ignoring her anger. “They say you’ve saved a lot of lives.”

Lena removed a pistol from a holster on her side and checked it was loaded, deliberately making a show of it in front of him before sliding it back into place and resuming her slow walk back and forth. “I do what I need to do to protect these people. They took me in. Gave me a home.”

“They also say you’re kinda deadly. Killed a lot of people.” He continued.

“Survival.” She mumbled. “Needs must.”

He nodded enthusiastically, as if he could relate.

“What’s the difference?” He questioned. Lena stopped with her back to him. “I mean, there’s not much difference between you killing someone before they kill you and me leaving you on the ground that day to make sure at least two of us could live.” He explained.

Her chest constricted and she could feel a rush of burning rage fill her veins. Her head pulsed and her jaw tightened. Her senses, especially her hearing kicked into overdrive as she took a deep breath and listened to the rustle of his clothing as he stood up in his spot. She looped her hand in on itself, her middle finger sliding the blade strapped to her forearm out of his sheath and into the palm of her hand. Then, she turned.

Within what seemed like a split second, she had pinned him to the wall, one arm across his chest, and the other pressing the pointed end of the blade to the middle of his throat. His eyes grew wide and she heard the air leave his lungs when she hurled him backwards to the wall.

“Your stupid cross trainer can’t help you now, can it? Pity you’re not a dreadlocked ninja, like me.” She said, flashing him a sinister grin.

He struggled against her, his leg coming up as he attempted to push her from him, but her stance and well thought out body positioning prevented him from getting very far. She stomped down on his foot, seeing him suck in a breath through his teeth.

“You actually just tried to justify leaving your wife to die, didn’t you?” She hissed

“No, no. That’s n-not what I was doing” He stammered. “I was just trying to s-say that we’ve all done things we’re not proud of. In this world, there’s a blurred line between…between everything.”

Her eyes lowered to where the blade met his throat and she pressed harder, the metal penetrating the skin and crimson red beaded at the end of the blade. His body tensed and he sucked in another loud breath, obviously in pain but refusing to let her see it. Lena tilted her head to the side, watching as the blood ran down the shiny knife.

“You don’t want to kill me, Lena. You love me. I know you do.” He pleaded, his voice shaking slightly. “Look at me, please.”

She raised her gaze, now seeing the fear etched onto his features. He was no longer trying to hide it. He did fear her after seeing what she’d become. He’d heard the stories, seen her walk proudly through the gate covered in blood and gore, witnessed the murderous look in her eyes whenever she looked at him.

Lena’s eyes welled with tears. “I fucking hate you.” She sniffed.

“No, you don’t.” He said. “Please, Lena. I love you. I missed you so much.”

She stepped back, withdrawing the weapon and shoving it into its sheath. Tears dropped down her face but her expression remained stony and angry. Caleb dabbed at the small wound on his throat with his fingers, wiping them on his pants and stepping closer to her. She backed up against the railing, her belt clinking against the metal. She lowered her head, her breaths now coming in short, sharp bursts. He raised a hand, hovering it near the side of her face, wanting to touch her but wary that he could lose his fingers. When she didn’t react, he took the risk, delicately running the back of his index finger over her cheek as he moved even closer, looking down at her.

“You’re still my wife.” He breathed.

 

*****

 

Daryl left the block and headed over to Carol who was chopping vegetables in the makeshift outside kitchen that had been erected in the yard. She was seemingly the only person outside at this time of the day, with the others likely to be inside performing various tasks like ammo counts, weapons cleaning and more menial jobs.

Carol, who had taught one or two others how to cook, still liked to maintain a sense of normality in her day to day activities and having cooked every day for her late husband, had decided she was best put to use as the provider of meals that were as decent as she could make them with the limited supplies they had. The tapping of her knife on the board as she cut through carrots could be heard as Daryl left the gate to the other block and headed towards her. She looked up and smiled at him, trying not to be put off by his forlorn facial expression.

“Evening” She chirped. “Come to lend a hand?” 

“Naw” He replied, helping himself to a freshly chopped stick of carrot and chewing loudly. Carol scoffed and slapped his hand away.

He sat on a tall chair opposite her and leaned his elbows on the surface, his head buried in his hands.

“She still not spoken to you?” Carol asked.

Daryl sighed and lowered his hands.

“Turned up in the middle of the night. Said she cares about me.” He grumbled.

“Then she does, Daryl.” She assured him.

“Then why’d she go?” He snapped back instantly.

“Well, did you ask her that?” She pressed, putting her knife down and tilting her head to the side as she looked at him. He nodded.

“Yeah. Said she needs time. I don’t get it, time for what?”

Carol rounded the makeshift kitchen island and pulled up another chair next to him. She sat down and rubbed his arm.

“You’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure.”

A faint clinking sound in the distance caught his attention and he looked up at the guard tower, his breath catching in his throat. Lena was backed against the edge, Caleb caressing the side of her face. She wasn’t pushing him away.

Carol noticed Daryl’s entire body tense and he inhaled sharply, holding the air in his lungs while he glared up at the tower. She followed his gaze, seeing for herself what had made him so angry.

He shot up from his seat, throwing the wooden chair across the yard with a harsh clatter and stormed off back to his block. Carol decided that running after him would serve no purpose but to get her shouted at. She would seek him out later, when he'd calmed down. 

 

*****

 

Lena shoved Caleb away from her. Her palms hitting his chest when she heaved with all her might. He stumbled backwards.

“Get the fuck away from me.” She commanded, lunging for the rifle leaned against the wall. She seized it and slammed it across his chest.

“You’re on guard duty.” He told him as she stomped off into the tower, collecting her bag and flying down the stairs.

 

*****

 

The next night saw Lena volunteering to lead some the crowds of walkers that had amassed outside the gates. While the mules were keeping them from the fences, the day to day noise of the goings on inside the prison was drawing more in. She had saddled Cleo up and led her from her stable, quietly chattering away to her as they clip clopped across the concrete to the gate. Daryl suddenly stepped out of the blocks entrance, starling Cleo and stopping Lena in her tracks. She gripped the reins tighter next to the horse and smoothed a palm over the animals neck.

“Shhh. It’s just Daryl.” She cooed.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, turning and heading for the gate.

Night had fallen and Lena’s backpack was packed with flares and various noisy things to draw the walkers away. She also had a lot of rope tied to Cleo’s saddle. Her coat hood was up, bandana drawn up over her mouth and nose and her bone swords strapped to her back. He noticed how well equipped she appeared and was almost about to ask if she needed any help, before remembering that he was hopping mad at her.

“Daryl.” She called out, panicking when he stopped immediately but didn’t turn around to look at her. She hadn’t thought of what she wanted to say past calling out his name. Did she even have anything to say at all?

“What?” He mumbled. His head low.

“How are you doing?” She asked feebly, knowing it was a stupid question and highly likely to anger him. Now, he turned to face her, his eyes narrowed.

“Really?!” He barked “How the hell do ya think I’m doin’? I ain’t waitin’ around no more, Lena. I’m done waitin’ for you to decide between me or Thor over there.”

He spun around and carried on walking.

“That’s not what I’m doing” she pleaded after him all the while trying to sound like she wasn’t desperate for him not to be angry at her.

“Whatever” he snapped over his shoulder.

 

***** 

 

While Lena left the prison with Cleo, Daryl sat atop of the hill working on his motorcycle. He liked to work by night, it was more peaceful with everyone mostly sleeping or sitting quietly outside the blocks. He changed the bikes oil and began wiping down the chrome surfaces, checking for rust and any damage that could cause a problem later on. He knelt in the dust at the side of the machine, running his hand over the fuel tank, over the nazi insignia that had been sprayed on by his brother.

He missed Merle. As many problems as he created, he had been pivotal in solving the biggest problem the group had faced so far. He had saved lives and Daryl refused to believe that he had gone out in nothing but a blaze of glory.

Gravelly footsteps stirred him from his musings and he glanced over his shoulder expecting to see Rick or Carol. Instead, Caleb was striding towards him confidently. Daryl looked back at the bike and sighed steadily.

“Jesus” he muttered to himself.

“Got a minute?” Caleb asked, stopping behind him and looking down at him from his towering height.

“Not really.” Daryl grumbled.

“It looks like you do. I gotta ask you some questions” he told him.

Daryl almost laughed, a noticeable, amused huff leaving his lungs coupled with a smirk. He knew what this was going to be about and a small part of him was curious as to how far Caleb would be willing to go to attempt to push Daryl out of Lena’s life.

“This is gonna be interestin’.” He said to himself, keeping his gaze on the bike, pretending to tinker with things being more appealing than having a face to face conversation.

“Did you know Lena was married?” Caleb questioned

Daryl shook his head, another laugh escaping him. The audacity of this man astounding him.

“Not at first.” He replied.

“Get up” Caleb demanded stepping closer. Daryl ya could see his dusty military boots from the corner of his eye.

Not wanting to be seen obeying an order from someone he considered to be all bark and no bite, he began collecting tools that were scattered under the bike and dropping them back into a box.

“I said-“

“I’ll get up when I’m god damn ready.” Daryl interrupted sternly as he carried on collecting items. He slammed the metal box shut noisily and gave the fuel tank one last wipe over before getting to his feet. Caleb glowered at him. He stood at least a couple of inches taller but Daryl wasn’t about to let his height or anything else intimidate him. This was what he was used to, this is how he’d grown up. With the simmering threat of violence just around the corner. With someone bigger than him stamping their authority down on him. But not anymore. He was older, he was wiser and he knew he was smarter than to let anyone intimidate him now.

“Have you been fucking my wife?” Caleb shot at him.

Daryl tilted his head back and met his gaze, reusing to back away. He remembered asking Lena if this day would come. She had assured him it wouldn’t. Now he was stood here in front of her husband.

“That’s Rich.” Daryl snipped. “That the way it works with you? You can fuck whoever ya want but she can’t?”

Caleb's chest puffed and he gritted his teeth. “What did you just say to me?”

Daryl laughed again, subtly shifting his stance into a more defensive one. One leg slightly behind the other, body turned just enough to be able to deflect a punch and duck. His hands hung freely at his sides, his fingers balled up into fists. He wasn’t going to answer Caleb’s personal and graphic question, what went on between him and Lena was going to stay between them.

“Think ya can just walk back into her life after what ya did?” He pressed “Least I treat her good, appreciate her. Least I ain’t ever left her for dead!”

Caleb took a step forwards, leering down at Daryl. He was breathing heavily through his nose and Daryl was sure he was about to try and strangle him.

“Maybe you should ask yourself who’s bed she was in last night. Sure as hell wasn’t yours.” Caleb spat.

Something in Daryl’s chest lurched and he instantly felt nauseous. Surely, he was lying? She wouldn’t do that… would she? It tied in with what he’d seen up in the guard tower like a hand and glove but he didn’t want to believe it. Outwardly, her remained strong and didn’t even flinch. Inwardly, he was in turmoil.

“Stay away from her. She’s too good for your redneck ass anyway.” Caleb sneered, turning his body and walking away.

Daryl ran at him, throwing himself on his back and feeling Caleb's legs buckle from under him as he held on. Caleb hit the ground and Daryl instantly began searching for his shoulder, finding it and throwing it over, causing the bigger man under him to twist onto his back. Punches rained down on Calebs face, Daryl’s chest heaving and his lungs releasing loud grunts with every impact. Blood began to fly, decorating the ground with spotted lines. Caleb managed to swipe at Daryl's face, catching his eye with his fist and he lurched backwards, his vision blurred and blackened for a moment.

Rick seemed to appear from nowhere and Daryl found himself being dragged from Caleb. He tried to fight but Rick had a firm grasp of his arms as he yelled for Tyreese to help.

Caleb was rendered almost immobile by Ty, a man who matched his height and strength. He had practically sat on Caleb's chest and pinned his arms to the ground.

“What’s going on out here?!” Rick demanded.

“Thor’s got one hell of a mouth on him.” Daryl quipped, finally beginning to calm as Rick held him as still as he could. His fists hummed with pain and he could tell his knuckles were grazed without even looking at them. What hurt more, was his eye socket from where Caleb had managed one, powerful blow to his face.

“Rednecks been screwing my wife.” Caleb said breathlessly from under Tyreese, who’s eyebrows shot up when he exchanged a surprised glance with Rick.

“Get him in the block.” Rick told Tyreese, slowly dragging Daryl away and talking to him in hushed tones. Caleb was helped to his feet and voluntarily walked away, brushing the dust from his clothes and wiping at his blood covered face.

 

*****

 

When Lena returned, the mass of Walkers around the prison was considerably smaller. Needing a shower, she finished up hanging Cleos tack in the stable and kissed her goodnight before making her way to the block the Daryl lived in alone. As her fingers curled around the doors heavy handle, she hard a voice from behind her.

“Where were ya last night?” Daryl rasped.

She quickly turned to see him stood almost in the dark at the edge of the grass, finishing up a cigarette. She wondered why she hadn’t smelt it before and figured out he was there, beginning to worry that her distracted mind wandering like it had been was about to get her killed one day.

“What?” She replied. Confused by the question. She was in the prison, with everyone else. She suddenly felt like she was about to undergo the third degree and coming from Daryl, who was usually quieter than a mouse, she knew it had to be bad.

“Where ya been sleepin’?” He questioned.

She could see his face now he has stepped out of the shadows and discarded his smoke. He wasn’t angry, but his expression was weary, sad even. The darkening ring around his eye drew her attention and she was then able to figure out what might have happened.

“Caleb do that to you?” She queried, motioning towards his eye by nudging her head up at him.

“He came off worse” Daryl stated.

“I have no doubt about that.” She smiled thinly.

“Ya gonna answer my question?” He continued.

“Why, Daryl? Why do you want to know that?” She countered.

Hurt stung at his heart. The more the conversation progressed, the more it was looking like what Caleb said was true. He sighed and stepped about awkwardly on the spot for a few moments, wanting to ask her outright but not wanting to hear the answer.

“Ya been with him?” He asked gingerly.

Lena’s face dropped and she gave him the saddest look he had ever seen. His own demeanor wasn’t his usual strong and stoic self either, his shoulders were slumped slightly and he refused to lift his head to talk to her, only peering at her through the front of his hair.

“Come with me.” She requested quietly as she turned on her heel and made her way to the gate. He reluctantly followed on behind her, his brow furrowed. His boots scuffed along the gravel, picking up his feet as he walked seeming like too much effort at the time. She led him to the middle of the yard and under a bridge where the two blocks met. She unlocked a door in the corner and stepped inside, holding it open for him. He followed her and squinted at the darkness in the hall he found himself stood in. She carried on walking, right to the end where she turned left, then left again and then down some stairs, into the lower level. All the while saying nothing and merely glancing back nervously at him every now and then. Coming to a large door with a metal frame and inch-thick glass as a window, she took out a key and unlocked it. Daryl’s eyes lifted to the sign above. Death Row.

She heaved the door open, the mechanism almost making a sucking noise as it moved. She pressed on, now slowly walking past empty cells to the end, where she stopped and held out a hand, motioning to the scene before her. Daryl stepped up to her side and found himself looking at a cell full of her belongings.

“I’ve been sleeping here.” She informed him. “Away from everyone. Even you. Because I needed space. The only person that knows I’ve been staying here is Sasha. She’s been down here playing cards with me on a couple of occasions.”

Daryl swallowed hard and nodded in acceptance. He slowly turned and began glancing around the stark and different block of cells. Contrasted to what everyone else was staying in, these were larger cells, single beds. The main door and windows to the hall outside were armored with thick, reinforced glass. He thought this would make a good place for Hershel to set up some kind of clinic. While his mind wandered, Lena watched him closely. She had missed his floppy, dirty hair, his crystal eyes and his broad shoulders. While Caleb was nice to look at, Daryl had a lot more about him. She hoped he wouldn’t ask if she still felt anything for him anymore, because she wouldn’t be able to lie to him. There were still the memories. Colorful images in her mind of the day she had met Caleb. She’d asked him for his number. Straight up. Just like that. The day they got married in a field full of wildflowers and she’d worn a long, flowing white dress. The day they she caught him cheating on her and he’d belittled her to the point of apologizing for something that he had done. The day she had looked up from the dirt and saw him slamming the gate while the walkers approached her rapidly. Yes, Caleb was attractive. But Daryl would never do those things to her.

“Alright.” Daryl mumbled, snapping her out of her daydream. He had noticed her staring at him while she thought. “I get it.”

“I’m not sleeping with him. I don’t want him near me.” She assured him.

 _That’s not what I saw the other night._ He thought to himself. Thinking better of confronting her about it for fear of seeming like he was over jealous or emotional. He had already proved that he cared enough to get into a fight. Enough was enough.

“Thanks… for showin me.” He said before making his way to the door.

“That’s it?” She called after him. He stopped in the doorway, peering at her over his shoulder.

“What else ya want me to say?” He asked.

Lena huffed, flapping her arms at her sides. “I don’t know.”

“Yeah, thought as much. See ya around.” He grumbled as he left the room.

 

*****

 

In the harsh daylight of the bright Georgian sunlight, Daryl squinted and lifted a hand, shielding his eyes as he tried to battle the sun against his vision of the gate. Lena was packing a car with bags and chatting to Caleb as if she were finally coming around. He wandered around the car, checking the tyre pressure and using the cars hood to check his weapon was clean, loaded and not likely to jam at an inappropriate moment. Lena was fully armed as usual and Daryl could tell she was giving it orders to Caleb. Her hands wisping animatedly in the air, pointing and demonstrating her plan for whatever they were heading out for.

He hated seeing her talking to him like this. She wasn’t being overly friendly but she was saying more now than he had seen her say since Caleb had first arrived. She had told him she didn’t want to be near him, so why was she going on a run with him?

His eyes left her for a few seconds as he examined the remnants of his coffee. When he raised his vision again, he saw she had walked over to one, lone bag on the ground further towards Daryl and picked it up, throwing it over her shoulder. She caught Daryl’s eye, her mouth opening slightly.

“What’s all the bags for?” Caleb shouted over to her. “We’re only gonna be out for a night.”

She quickly spun around and headed back to him. “Supplies. I’ll run through it all when we get there.” Daryl heard her reply.

Sasha appeared at his side, sitting down on the wooden bench next to him. She offered him a potato chip from a large pack that had just a few left in the bottom. He held his hand up briefly and shook his head.

“You weren’t at the meeting this morning.” Sasha stated.

“Was huntin’.” He responded. “Where they goin’?”

“Two day run. Lena’s idea. Says she knows a place. Just needed someone to help her clear the walkers around it. He volunteered before anyone could say anything.”

“Huh.” Daryl huffed. “Figures.”

“Yeah.” She agreed. “I don’t like him. I had to work the fence with him this morning. She told me who he is. What he did. What a bastard.”

“Ya got that right.”

“His face is pretty mangled. You did a good job.” She said, smirking.

He laughed slightly and side glanced at her. Her face suddenly changed and he followed her gaze back to the car. Caleb had placed a protective hand on the small of Lena’s back as she threw the heavy bag into the backseat. She made no attempt to stop him.

“Oh, what the hell?!” Sasha sighed “Look, if it helps some, you’re so much better for her than he is. I hope she comes to her senses, she’d be a fool not to and she’s real smart so I’m sure she will. You’re a good person, Daryl. He’s an asshole.”

His head lowered but he kept his eyes on Lena for a few seconds. Eventually, he looked down into his lap.

“Thanks” He mumbled.

 

*****

 

They had driven for hours, meaning they were now miles and miles away from the prison and the heat of the day was radiating from the cars hood and creating transparent, wavy lines of a mirage as Lena stared ahead at the road. Caleb had chatted incessantly since they’d left, receiving only a nod or a one worded answer from her in the process. He’d covered a wide range of topics, all of them related in some way to their relationship, the day they got married or their life at the eco village. Lena was bored. Bored of hearing his voice and bored of being made to reminisce.

Arriving at her destination, she pulled into a gated community, the gates open wide enough for the car to pass through. She killed the engine and allowed the car to roll quietly down a curved slope towards the houses. When she stopped the vehicle by the sidewalk, Caleb could see a what appeared to be a quiet, circular street which was lined with large, white houses. Abandoned cars littered the roads and many of the houses doors were open, windows were smashed and peoples personal belongings were discarded on the sidewalk.

“This is it? Thought you said there were Walkers everywhere?” He enquired, leaning forwards and scanning the area in front of the car.

“There was.” She replied.

He shrugged and sat back in his seat. Lena remained completely still.

“Where is she?” She suddenly asked.

“Who?” Caleb said, confused.

“You know who.” Lena told him. Her voice steady and uncompromising. He was sensing her irritation already.

“She got bit. Turned.” He sighed, running a hand through his thick, blonde hair and slumping against the inside of the car door.

“You put her down?” Lena continued.

Silence. She glanced to the side at him. His eyes were closed, his hand pressed against his forehead.

“No. I couldn’t do it.” He admitted.

Lena began to laugh, much to Caleb’s disgust. His head snapped to the side and he glared at her.

“You really are something else, you know that?” She chuckled. “You couldn’t do it? I mean, Really? She’s out there wandering around somewhere as a glassy eyed monster because you couldn’t do it?” The last four words of her sentence were said in such a sarcastic tone that Caleb actually smarted at her attitude.

“You weren’t there-” He tried.

“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?” She interrupted. “I have put down so many Walkers I wouldn’t even begin to be able to count. I have murdered upwards of 50 people to survive. I have seen people I cared about tortured and killed and I have taken innocent lives in order to protect the people that have taken me in and given me somewhere to live. I did all of that after the person I loved most in the world looked me in the eye and closed a fucking gate on me while a horde closed in. And you sit there and expect me to have sympathy because ‘you couldn’t do it’. You are the biggest coward I have ever known, Caleb.”

“I-” He stammered.

“Get out of the fucking car.” She spat. Flicking the handle and stepping out onto the quiet street.

Caleb, who was not used to being spoken to like this from Lena at all, sat in a stunned silence for a moment before doing as he was told and getting out of the car. All he could do was look at her, knowing that no matter what was said, he was only going to be shot down. He was starting to see that Lena was now a different woman altogether. She was strong, capable, angry and unforgiving. A whole world apart from the head in the clouds, so-in-love girl he married.

She rounded the car and threw a silver key at him. He automatically caught it in his hand.

“The key for number 5” She said, tilting her head in the direction of a huge house with a sweeping front porch and white pillars in front of the door. “It’s empty, I cleared it myself. It’s a good place to get some rest. Help me take these supplies inside before something hears us.”

Without argument, he opened the back door to the car and lifted out a couple of backpacks, swinging them over his shoulders. He turned and started inside. Lena grabbed the last two bags and followed him inside.

The house was ransacked, the cupboards bare and the floor littered with paper and useless items that had obviously been discarded by whoever had looted the place. She dropped the bags down in the hall and placed her hands on her hips.

“Surprise.” She growled, raising an eyebrow. “This isn’t a run. This is where you and I part ways”

He dropped the luggage he was carrying and gawped at her, his eyebrows pinching together.

“What?!” He exclaimed.

“I announced this trip at the meeting knowing you’d volunteer. These bags are full of what you’ll need to survive out here. I packed them while you and Sasha worked the fence this morning.” She explained. “You’re not welcome at the prison. We look after each other there, we’re a family and we don’t leave anyone behind. If one of us was to get bitten, we’d have the courage to do the right thing. Not like you.”

His chest began to rise and fall rapidly and his eyes frantically danced around at his surroundings. He was staring to panic and Lena was loving every second of it. She reached into her belt and took out a pistol, then into her pocket, from which she retrieved a box of ammunition. She placed them on a small table to her right.

“This is fully loaded and here’s some ammo to tide you over. You’d be wise to use your knife more than anything. They’re attracted by noise and light. Keep quiet. Reinforce the windows and doors and keep the fucking noise down. One of those bags is full of food but you’ll need to scavenge before long. That’s all the advice I’m going to give you.” She shrugged before turning to the door.

“Lena!” he cried, his voice almost sounding high pitched in his desperation “Please!”

“I told you before, you’re lucky I didn’t kill you. Instead, I’m exiling you.” She said over her shoulder. She stepped outside onto the porch, hearing him cursing to himself. Allowing herself another look at him, she turned around completely to face him.

“If you try to return to the prison, I will kill you. If I ever run into you again, even by accident, I will kill you. If you ever touch Daryl again, I will shove this…” She reached behind her back, slowly unsheathing a long, bone sword and holding it in front of her. “…so far up your ass, you’ll be chewing metal for the rest of your short life and let me promise you, I won’t be kind enough to put you out of your misery when you turn.”

Witnessing that her words had hit home and that Caleb was now in a serious state of confusion and shock, she resumed her path to the car, her sword still gripped tightly in her hand. She casually padded down the stone walkway when she heard him step outside onto the porch.

“That’s it? You’re going to leave me here while you run along back to your dumb redneck?!” he shouted.

She stopped in her tracks, turning slowly on her boot heels and locking eyes with him.

“Daryl is more of a man than you will ever be. He’s worth a hundred of you. He is kind and gentle and has shown me how I deserve to be treated. He doesn’t manipulate me, or make me feel like nothing I do is good enough. He makes me feel beautiful and sexy, not like a failure. Not like I have to continually prove I’m worthy. Y’know what else? He’s a much better lay than you. So, fuck you, Caleb.” She proclaimed proudly.

“No! Fuck you! You murdering whore!” He yelled.

Lena just smiled, stepped closer to the mail box and loudly tapped her sword against it. The rapping of the metal on metal echoed around the closed in street. She then reached into her coat pocket and lifted out a flare, lighting it and tossing it into the front yard. His eyes widened with terror when he realized what she was doing.

“Sweet husband.” She mocked “I never lied to you when I said my vows. ‘Everything I have, I give to you’, remember? Now, I’m giving you my knowledge. If you stay quiet, you’ll survive, if you keep hollering like a banshee, you’ll attract the Walkers that are in the tree line that surrounds these beautiful houses. That’s something else I never lied to you about, this place is full of them. Hundreds of them in fact. Good luck.” She said breezily, a wide smile on her face.

“Fuck” She heard him gasp as Walkers began to emerge from the surrounding houses. Lena hopped towards the car and banged her sword handle on the roof, a booming, cracking noise shooting throughout the area and making Caleb jump. She climbed back into the driver’s seat, slammed the door and turned the ignition at the same time as cranking up the volume on the painfully awful country music compilation she had made sure was loaded into the CD player. Twanging guitars and a high-pitched wailing sounded out from the speakers as she cackled manically. She maneuvered the car around to face the exit and hit the accelerator. When she neared the gate, she switched the music off and stopped the car on the other side of the gates.

Quickly scrambling to get out of the car, she unhooked a padlock from her belt and ran to the heavy, wrought iron gates and hauled them shut just in time to see Caleb Sprinting towards her. She grabbed the chain that was hanging from the left gate and looped it around them both, snapping the padlock shut just as he reached her. His fingers curled around the structure and he shook it violently.

“Lena…Please…You’re going to regret this!” He pleaded.

“OK, here’s the thing” She grinned, closing her hand over his on the cold metal and beckoning him closer with a finger. “This is a gated community, enjoy your new home, because you’re not leaving here without a fucking big ladder to climb these big gates with and that big ass wall. Feels shitty doesn’t it? Being left to die.” she whispered, tapping his hand and getting back into the car.

She didn’t look in the rear-view mirror as she drove away. Not once ounce of guilt ran through her veins. Instead, she was calm. Relieved. Finally, at peace.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback in the last chapter, much appreciated and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Here's an update!

Daryl was carving bolts in the block when Lena arrived back at the prison. Rick and Maggie were outside along with a few newcomers that Daryl hadn’t bothered to speak to. Not being one for small talk anyway, he had left well alone and generally only spoke to the Woodbury folk when they spoke to him and gave him no choice but to answer. He had retreated into his solitary space well before Lena had returned. The daylight had faded once again and the yard was lit by the final yellowish beams of the dipping sun.

The car rolled to the gate and Carl leapt at the chain and yanked it down with all his might to open it. Rick chuckled quietly from beside Maggie at the sight. Carl’s boots skidded along the floor as he continued to pull until the gate finally opened. Lena drove the vehicle slowly as she passed him.

“Thanks, Kid.” She nodded at him through the open window. He tipped his hat to her and set to work closing the gate as fast as he could while the car crept up the hill and ground to a halt in front of the small gathering of people. Rick stood up and scuffed over the dusty ground towards Lena as she opened the door and climbed out.

“Where’s Caleb?” He immediately asked, stopping to check inside the empty car.

Lena quickly and subtly shook her head, a faked look of sadness on her face. Maggie was staring at her, glancing around Rick to see her face.

“He didn’t make it?” Rick whispered, turning his back to the others but they, and Maggie could hear every word.

“He got bit. I had to leave him and the supplies. I’m sorry.” She answered.

Rick turned his head, his eyes flickered over to Maggie and she shot him a concerned look. It was no secret that Lena and Caleb didn’t get along even if their marriage and history wasn’t common knowledge.

“He…got bit?” Rick repeated questioningly.

“Yeah. We were scavenging in this rich, gated community. Walker came out of nowhere, bit him and his screams attracted the others. I killed the one Walker and tried to shut him up but before I knew it we were swamped. I had to leave, I couldn’t take them all on.” She lied.

Rick placed a hand on his hip and dipped his head, trying to read her eyes.

“Are you alright?” He said.

She nodded. “Yeah, I tried. That was all I could do.” She replied solemnly. Rick gently squeezed her shoulder and she placed a hand over his, smiling at him weakly. He let go and turned back to resume his space next to Maggie.

Lena licked her lips and swallowed hard. “Where’s Daryl?” She asked.

“He’s in the other block.” Maggie told her.

She nodded a thanks and walked off in search of him.

 

***** 

 

Inside, Daryl was sat on the bed carving bolts for his crossbow. He had obviously been there for a while and had amassed quite the collection on the covers in front of him. He raised his vision when he heard Lena enter the cell. She still had her long coat on, hood pushed back and bandana around her neck. This time, she had returned without so much as a speck of blood on her. The sight of her was almost too painful to bare. Her strength, her resilience, her beauty. If he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want to look at her. He looked back down at his task.

“Can I talk to you?” She squeaked, her shy tone taking her by surprise. She could see that his eye was now black and swollen. Irritation filled her chest when she thought of Caleb having done that to him.

He replied with only a sharp shrug, continuing to keep his attention on carving the bolt in his hand.

“I feel like I owe you an explanation.” She started, lowering herself down on a chair next to her.

He briefly looked up again, only for a split second, enough for her to notice that he seemed angry.

“I saw you.” He uttered.

Straight away, she knew what he was referring to. The only time she had ever allowed Caleb to touch her except for earlier on that day, when she had lured him to his potential death. Up on the guard tower when she thought no one was watching, he had only touched her face for a few seconds. A few seconds of bad judgement and weakness on her part. When she didn’t reply, he stopped carving and dropped the bolt and knife. His head remained low.

“I saw you.” He repeated. “Let him touch ya.”

“No, that’s not what happened.” She shook her head.

“I know what I saw.” He snapped.

“What you saw was him manipulating me.” She shot back “Like he has done from the moment I met him. You think I was always this way? I don’t suffer fools, Daryl but that’s not always been the case. He got under my skin, twisted me around his little finger and always made sure he got what he wanted from me. He tried to do it up in that tower and yes, I gave in for a second. But I pushed him away.”

He was looking at her now, his blue eyes illuminated by the soft glow of the lowering sunbeams through the roof.

“Didn’t see ya pushin’ him away then, or this mornin’. Packin up the car like a couple goin on fuckin vacation.” He snipped.

Lena’s back prickled with anger and she tried to control herself. “I can’t believe you’re jealous… of nothing.”

“Jealous?!” He said, raising his voice and standing up from the bed. “Ya damn right I’m jealous! I opened up to you! I fuckin’ trusted you! The second he shows up ya just left! I sat with this shit for two weeks while ya decided which one of us was second best n’ I still aint none the wiser.”

Lena’s mouth dropped open. She knew he was upset with her, but she hadn’t realized just how much she had hurt him.

“Is that what you think I was doing? Because it wasn’t! There was never even a question in my mind. I didn’t leave because I was deciding anything, I left because I was trying to figure out a way to get rid of him without slitting his throat in front of our entire community”

She could feel him watching her as she ran her hands over her face.

“Expect me to believe that after what I saw?” He raged

“Oh, come on! I didn’t want it, I hate him! Why don’t you believe me?!” She demanded.

“Just go back to him. Ya wouldn’t have left me like a fuckin’ idiot if ya didn’t love him!” He yelled, waving his hand at her as he spoke. He thumped out of the cell to the communal area. Lena shot up from the chair and followed him, her chest becoming tight with anger and desperation when she saw he was aiming for the exit.

“Daryl, stop” She pleaded, only for him to carry on walking.

“Daryl! I’m sorry!” Her voice was getting louder as he neared the exit to the block.

“I don’t love him, Daryl!” She screamed after him. “I love you!”                                                           

It echoed around the concrete structure like a rubber ball, bouncing from the walls and she was horrified at just how loud it sounded. Daryl stopped walking and froze to the spot, his back to her. He looked over his shoulder at her stood in the middle of the room, her chest rising and falling.

“Don’t do that to me” He growled.

“Do what?” She breathed.

“Say shit you don’t mean.” He warned quietly, his voice breaking halfway through the sentence before he turned and left the building.  

She released a loud breath and tried to fight back the tears that were building up behind her eyes. She hadn’t wanted to tell him like this. Not screamed at him in a prison cell. Not with him doubting her words.

“Shit” She cursed, her tears now overflowing and trickling down her cheeks.

 

*****

 

A few hours later in her Death Row cell, she shuffled the cards and dealt out hands for both her and Sasha, who was sprawled, width ways across the bed. She was regarding Lena with an air of suspicion and had been since she’d arrived and quietly sat down on the bed in front of her. Neither of them had said a word to one another. Lena just picking up the cards that Sasha had thudded onto the covers. She had changed into some baggy, black hareem pants that she’d found in the clothes store. Beth had laughed when she pulled them out of the pile and told her she would look like a hippy, quickly apologizing when it occurred to her that she was stood in front of someone with half a head of dreadlocks and piercings. Lena knew she looked like a hippy, and that was good with her, they were the comfiest pants she’d worn in what felt like years. Her plain white T-shirt was slightly too small and tight for how it was meant to look but Lena hadn’t cared.

Her intuition was usually sharp enough, she just considered it a huge pity that it always seemed to fail her when it came to Daryl. Right now, it was telling her that Sasha had her all figured out and was about to make her endure the grilling of a lifetime. She picked up her hand of cards. _Typical_ she thought. _How am I meant to make anything out of this?_ A hiss of frustration expelled through her teeth and she shook her head.

“Not had such a good day, huh?” Sasha finally said.

“No.” Lena answered truthfully.

“You gonna tell me what happened to Caleb?’ She asked, placing her cards face down on the bed.

Lena just stared at her, able to see it written all over her face. She knew the situation wasn’t as simple as him being taken down by walkers, she just needed confirmation. Lena licked her lips and took a deep breath, bringing her legs up and crossing them under her.

“I left him.” She uttered. “Deliberately.”

Sasha tilted her head back momentarily and waited for Lena to make eye contact. When she did, she could see nothing but sadness in her and she wasn’t sure if it was because she regretted what she’d done.

“Thought it was convenient” she nodded.

“I planned it all.” She continued as she lowered her head and swiped at the wetness pooling in the corner of her eye. “I couldn’t see him living in amongst these people. Good people. Not after what he did. I packed supplies for him, a weapon, food. I locked him behind a gate and left him out there. Am I a terrible person?” She asked, now beginning to cry properly.

Sasha leaned forwards and placed a hand on Lena’s knee. “No, Lena.” She assured her.

Having pushed her emotions away and ignored them for so long, it was only recently that Lena had felt comfortable connecting with others like she had with Sasha, who had become somewhat of a friend to her. She’d turn up around the same time most evenings, they’d play poker and conversation was mainly kept to a minimum. Lena had asked her not to tell anyone where she was along with explaining that she felt it unfair to be around Daryl while Caleb continued to be an increasingly annoying issue that didn’t seem to be going away. Sasha had not argued nor agreed with any of Lena’s decisions, she merely nodded and shrugged in acceptance.

“You wanna know what I think?” She proposed, receiving a nod from Lena.

“I think you owe Daryl an apology.” She said softly, trying not to cause offence. “But other than that, you did the right thing. He wasn’t a good person.”

Lena sighed and gave up trying to dry her tears, allowing one to fall down her cheek and bump over her lip. “I tried. He’s not interested.” She murmured. “Maybe I was wrong, maybe I should have told him. But I was confused and shocked and not nice to be around and I just thought it was better for him.”

“Everything seems better after some sleep and some time.” Sasha offered.

Lena had now completely messed up her hand of cards, swirling them all around on the sheets with her index finger

“You not going to lecture me? Or ask me all the details?” she questioned.

“Nope” Sasha said, collecting the cards and placing them into a neat pile. “I don’t need to know. Neither does any body else. He’s gone. That’s it.”

A soft knock at the door caught their attention and Sasha crept from the bed and peered around the doorframe towards the main entrance. Lena’s back prickled, the only people that knew she was down here was Daryl and Sasha and she was right in front of her.

Daryl was leaning on the closed door, peering through the glass, his arm up and braced along the top of the door. She turned to Lena.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” She smiled. “I’ll see you later, thanks for the non-existent game. Good luck.”

She left the cell and Lena quietly tiptoed to the door in her bare feet. She could hear muttered chit chat coming from the entrance and decided to go back to her spot on the bed, sitting cross legged and grabbing her bandana from the side of the bed. She tied it around her head, keeping her hair and dreads from falling in front of her face.

Daryl almost silently stepped into the room and leaned his weight back on the doorframe. His hair was messy, his face tired and he had the general look of someone that had been outside the fences for a while. She wondered if he’d left and gone on a run like she did when everything got a little too much. She would take herself off, find a pack of Walkers and slice them to pieces, covering herself in gore and brain matter but being able to yell and scream and cry as much as she liked. It was all new to her after Daryl had brought up her tendency to use sex as a way to feel something. She had tried to get the same result another way. A more dangerous way. But it worked.

“Got a minute?” He rasped.

“Of course” She replied, motioning to the end of the bed and sniffing loudly. Her tears now dried onto her skin and irritating her with the tight sensation they left behind along with her puffy face they felt a lot bigger than it probably was.

“Nah, I’m good here.” He told her, shoving his hands into his pockets. As his fingers disappeared she noticed his knuckles were grazed and bloody. “Tell me what happened”

The silence between them was deafening and her skin crawled with anxiety. She hated it, wishing she could be more composed. Composed, smart, aware and not emotionally attached to anyone, like she had been when she’d first arrived at the prison. Her façade had dropped, shattered and now she was left with the stark reality that this was the real her. Staring into the face of a man that changed everything for her.

“I left him out there.” She finally said. “I planned the whole thing. Announced the run in the morning, knowing he would jump at the chance to do an overnight run with me. While he worked the fence, I packed his shit and some supplies. Food, water. Packed the car and let him think he had a chance at talking me around. I took him to a gated neighborhood. Dropped the bags in a house, made a lot of noise to attract the Walkers. I knew there were hundreds in there. Then I left, locked the gate right in front of him. Just like he did to me. I told him…I said if he ever tried to come back, I’d kill him. And if he ever touched you again, I’d shove a sword up his ass.”

Daryl swallowed hard and rubbed his chin with his fingers. “Didn’t trust me enough to tell me?” He queried, his eyes hard and determined.

“No, it wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. I was happy, with you.” She continued, her voice now barely more than a whisper. “He turned up and yes, I’ll admit I realized I missed him. I married him after all, feelings like that don’t just go away. I didn’t feel like I was being fair to you, being around you while I dealt with that. The more I remembered about him, the more my hatred for him grew and the more it occurred to me how much I…”

“How much ya what?” He urged. She locked eyes with him. Her own glassy and wet again.

“How much I care about you.”

He moved into the room and sat on the end of the bed, where she had originally motioned for him to sit.

“I had to stay away, I had to plan.” She carried on explaining “I never lied to you once, but I have lied to everyone else. They think he got turned. I let your brother in here after he almost beat Glenn to death, I couldn’t have one rule for him and another for someone else, but I had to make him go away. I got my revenge.” She sighed heavily, her explanation taking its toll on her.

Daryl was completely still, she couldn’t even hear him breathing. He was peering through his hair at her. Hearing her say what she had done had knocked him for six. He had no idea what to say, how to respond. His head was full and loud, she usually quietened it, but now it was louder than ever. Did she mean it? Was this true? Had everything in the last two weeks been a plan?

He looked away from her, an exasperated sigh escaping him. He propped an elbow up on the metal bedframe and rubbed his eyes. Lena lowered her head and played with her own hands in her lap. Conscious of the tears that were now trailing down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Daryl. I never meant to hurt you. I hate myself for hurting you” She told him sincerely.

“What ya said before. In the block…” He mumbled. “Why’d say say that?”

“I didn’t want to tell you like that.” She sniffed.

“Why’d ya say it?” He repeated, his voice sterner.

“Because it’s true.” She squeaked. “I meant it.”

“Naw” He scoffed, getting to his feet and staring to wander around the cell. “Ya don’t”

“Don’t tell me what I do and don’t mean. Please.” She begged.

Daryl had a million and one things he wanted to say but none of them seemed to want to surface. His world had stilled when he’d heard her say those words. Everything had frozen in time and his head went quiet. All for a second or two, but it was profound. No one had ever said it to him before and he never thought anyone would. If it was yelled at him in the heat of the moment or whispered in the throes of passion, he didn’t believe it.

Lena brought her knees up and hugged them as she watched him, his face pulled tight into a confused and frustrated expression. His arms were smeared with dirt and shiny with sweat from whatever he had been doing in the hours before he had arrived. She wanted to reach out to him, to embrace him and kiss him and make him forget how angry he was at her.

“When we were on that run and that guy threatened to um…threatened to rape me” She started, breaking the unbearable silence. Daryl’s eyes closed and his shoulders tensed at the memory.

“We killed them all and then I broke down. You held me. No matter how much I tried to stop you. You just held on.”

He opened his eyes again, seeing her lips curl up into a small smile as she thought back to when he had wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close and refused to let go.

“I knew then” She nodded. “We’d had sex twice, but it was like it didn’t count. Y’know? I hadn’t even kissed you at that point, but I still knew. I fell for you then and there, with you holding me on the floor and I shoved it away and pretended it wasn’t real. You worked so hard to get me to give in. You waited for so long. I’m still not even sure why because I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve you but I really fucking love you. I-I can’t help it. I didn’t hurt you on purpose.”

She rubbed at a spot under her bandana for a moment, hazarding a look at him and noticing that he was wary of looking at her.

“I know you’re mad at me.” She whispered “But please, say something. I have been talking for a really long time.”

She heard a low grumble in his throat as he shifted on the spot. She sighed loudly and groaned, if anything to stop the awkward quietness.

“I aint mad at ya.” He whispered. “I was. But I get it. I think.”

She shuffled from the bed and stepped closer to him, forcing him to look at her.

“These past couple weeks have been shitty for you. I understand. And I’m sorry. You are the only person in this crappy world that I would do anything for. I wasn’t choosing, Daryl. It was you. There was never any doubt for me. Do you believe me?” She pressed.

He thought for a moment, studying her face. Her sincerity starkly obvious.

“Yeah, I believe ya.” He nodded. She almost jolted when she felt him tickle the back of her hand with his fingertips. She rotated her hand and took hold of his. It was shaking slightly and Lena couldn’t believe how much she wanted to kiss him right now. To slip her arms over his shoulders and embrace him but she knew he would recoil away from her

“The stable.” She just about heard him mutter under his breath. He made eye contact with her, nudging his head up briefly. “When ya kissed me…Then.”

She smiled at him, a shy, unassuming smile while her tears continued to flow. She made no attempt to wipe them away and couldn’t quite decide why she was still crying. He gently squeezed her hand and her fingers curled into his.

“Uh, whats goin on here…it’s kinda a big deal to me. Ya told me ya needed time, when ya left. Well, So do I. For this. Until I can-”

“I know, I know.” She quickly assured him. “It’s only three little words, but they’re a pretty big deal to me too. I didn’t tell you to hear it back. Like I said, I didn’t even want to tell you like this, yelling it at you like that. Not my finest moment.”

The rush of relief she experienced when his face finally changed and he laughed quietly was both overwhelming and welcome. She echoed his amusement, the atmosphere around them now changing to a more tolerable, light-hearted one instead of the heavy, awkward, angry vibe that neither of them could stand before.

“Don’t matter how ya said it, m’ still happy to hear it. Just gonna take me a while to really believe it” He admitted.

“You’re happy to hear it?” She echoed.

“Yeah. Last two weeks ya pissed me off but my feelings never changed. Why ya think I got so mad? Thought I was losin you after spending so long tryin’ to believe that there was a reason you were with me in the first place. Hell, I still think ya could be blind, or hit ya head really hard.”

Lena giggled and gripped his warm fingers with her own.

“I guess no one has ever told you that you’re gorgeous, Daryl. Everything about you.”

He chuckled bashfully and shook his head.

 “Ya gonna come back?” He questioned. “Quiet in there without ya.”

She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to hide a wide smile.

“You want me to come back?” She queried.

He gave her a subtle, half smile, but for a brief moment, Lena saw it flash across his eyes too.

“Yeah, I do.”

 

***** 

 

A week later and everyone but Carol had questioned Lena about Caleb’s convenient demise. Rick had only asked her to confirm what had happened and left it at that while the others remained curious and offered her words of support, a rubbed arm and sympathetic look which she had been forced to pretend to be grateful for. Sasha played her ignorance role well and did nothing that told anyone that she knew the real story. Carol was the only one that had Lena all figured out. In front of the group, she followed suit and expressed her sadness for Lena being put in a position where she couldn’t save Caleb, but when they were alone in the guard tower one night, she had stood next to her and told her that she knew more than she let on.

“He was a bad person?” She had asked.

Lena just nodded, casting her gaze over the pinks and oranges of the evening sky.

“There isn’t room in our new world for bad people. We all have to work together to survive.” Carol mused.

“He cheated on me.” Lena had blurted out “Then he left me to get eaten by Walkers while he rescued his girlfriend. He tried to beat up Daryl and I’m pretty sure he made him believe I was sleeping with him too. I wasn’t. He was a manipulative asshole.”

“You talk about him as if he’s dead.” Carol pointed out.

Lena glanced to her side at the older woman. “So do you.” She smiled.

 

****

 

When she had moved back into the block with Daryl, she found him to be dependent on her being near him constantly. Away from the eyes of the group, everything was different. Daryl had never been dependent on anyone for anything but something inside him had shifted and he didn’t bother to pretend it hadn’t. He had never felt like this before and assumed that if this was how he was going to be with Lena in his life, then so be it.  When they were alone, his hands barely left her body and she didn’t mind one little bit. He’d been quiet as usual, expressing himself in other ways but she often caught him staring at her intently when performing the most mundane of tasks, like strapping her weapons to her or sewing up a hole in her coat. She would endure his heavy, penetrating stare and nine times out of ten would be able to withstand the almost uncontrollable urge to jump him, but on the odd occasion, she would just walk right up to him and shove her hands into the front of his pants. He’d lift her up with his strong arms as if she weighed nothing.

He craved her all the time. Needed to feel her against him. Needed to see her bite her lip, hear her ask for more, feel her close in around him and shudder as she came every single time. He would wake her in the night just to be able to be inside her and she often wondered if they had actually swapped roles. If Daryl was now using sex to feel something.

“Daryl” She panted one morning, covered in sweat and still straddling him, her hair sticking to her face and neck. His shoulders and chest were glistening and he refused to let her move back, peppering her with kisses along her collar bone. She resisted his strength and continued to try and push back slightly so she could see his face and he eventually let her. “We have a lot of sex.”

“Yeah” He agreed, his arms still firmly clamped around her waist.

“Are you-are you so insatiable for a reason?” She asked.

“Wha?” He replied, confused.

“I mean, is there something you’re not telling me? This seems to be the only way you communicate with me.” She said, brushing a few strands of wet hair from his forehead. When he didn’t respond straight away, she considered the possibility that she’d offended him, when he finally spoke.

“Feel close to ya. It too much?” He asked gingerly.

“No. No it’s not too much. I was just worried you weren’t telling me something” she cooed.

He gradually dropped his arms from around her waist and felt along her thighs while she continued to study his face and brush her fingers through his hair.

“You definitely alright?” She pushed once more.

“I’m fine” He rasped. “Just…Happy I guess.”

Her body flooded with affection and a strange sense of triumph at the sound of the word he had used. Happy. She made him happy. While she had no doubt that she was in love with him, he was yet to say it back and she had fretted that his constant need for physical contact was because he was trying to feel something that he just didn’t. But the word ‘happy’ was a big thing for Daryl and Lena knew it.

“You are?” She smiled.

“Yeah.” He told her.

 

*****

 

As she adjusted a strap on Cleo’s bridle Daryl was preparing his Motorcycle for their trip. A short run into the woods to try and collect a select list of plants and herbs that Hershel had written down and asked Daryl to retrieve. Lena had jumped at the chance of doing something useful after almost ten days inside the prison without Cleo having had any decent exercise. The horse was becoming mischievous and ignorant, choosing to ignore commands and being caught chewing on Carl’s oversized Sherriff’s hat as he sat on the grass with her one afternoon.

Hershel had asked for help collecting things that could be used as medicine due to a couple of people coming down with flu like symptoms n the other block. Antibiotics were rationed and other medicines and painkillers scarce due to so many people taking up residence inside the walls of the correctional facility.

Lena had to admit to herself that she wasn’t feeling to great herself. Her joints ached, she’d lost her appetite and she had woken before Daryl for the past two mornings feeling nauseous and exhausted. Her symptoms had faded after a couple of hours but it had still concerned her none the less and she told herself she would sit down and tell Hershel upon her return. She hadn’t said a word to Daryl, knowing he would go and get Hershel himself if he found out.

The Death Row block she had previously taken residence in, was now being used as a makeshift hospital on Daryl’s suggestion and Hershel had been grateful of the thought, now being able to work properly in a cleaner, more segregated environment that was away from the rest of the community, thus decreasing the chances of any infections being passed on to anyone.

 

The sky was overcast and Daryl was glad, the last few moths has been unbearably hot and he looked forward to riding the bike in a breeze instead of a continual, hot stream of air. He watched Lena across the yard, patting Cleo’s neck attentively and bending over to check her leg straps were in place. She looked like a completely different person when outside the fences to the beautiful, pale skinned and vulnerable girl he woke up to every morning. By day she was a warrior. Swords equipped, trench coat on, enough guns and bullets to get herself out of any given situation and a skill set to rival a computer game character. He admired both of her personas, this one he was looking at in the daylight being the first one that had caught his attention. The way she peered over her bandana at him and threatened him the first time they’d met. Then there was the Lena underneath all that, the Lena he now never wanted to be without.

She turned and gave him a thumbs up “You ready, crossbow?” She called out.

He returned the gesture and swung a leg over his bike, starting it up and slowly rolling it towards the gate, where Tyresse waited patiently. Cleo thudded along and came to a stop beside him, Lena looked down at him.

“Ride out to the edge of the forest and work our way in?” She suggested.

He nodded and revved the bikes engine. “I’ll go slow.” He said, catching a glimpse of Cleo’s eye.

“You’d do well not to underestimate her.” Lena chirped, winking at him.

Tyreese hauled the gate open and Lena squeezed Cleo’s sides with her heels, setting her off on a fast gallop. Daryl followed on the bike, now realizing why he should not underestimate Cleo. She was a hell of a lot faster than he’d expected.

 

When they came to a stop and Lena had tied Cleo up, Daryl had pushed his bike into the tree line and covered it up and the two of them set off into the woods with Hershel’s list. Daryl had noticed her unusually pale complexion and put it down to her having skipped breakfast but decided to keep an eye on her nonetheless. She picked through the trees using a sword to move branches from her path and it wasn’t long before a wave of nausea washed over her and she stumbled against a tree, bracing herself and gasping for breath. Daryl immediately went to her, one hand lacing around her back and the other holding her face up so he could look at her.

“Woah…what’s goin’ on, Lena. You sick?” He asked.

She shook her head quickly and pushed her lips together in an attempt to stop any vomit that might come up.

“You don’t look so good” He told her, brushing her cheek with his hand.

She just sucked in breath after breath through her nose, trying to force the feeling away. Her stomach churned and black spots flooded her vision. She blinked rapidly and her head suddenly felt empty. Gripping with one hand onto the tree trunk and onto Daryl’s arm with the other, she still stumbled on the spot.

“Lena?”

She could hear him but he sounded so far away, like his voice was dwindling to nothing. She tried to speak but nothing came out and she was now only able to see out of one eye.

 _Shit._ She thought before everything went black.

 

Her head thrummed with pain, thunderous clouds of agony rumbled behind her forehead and eyes and her stomach felt like it was tied in a knot. Her vision was blurry but cleared with every blink. She could feel something under her and turned her head to the side to see something black and shiny. It was Daryl’s vest and his arms were wrapped around her. His legs were sprawled out underneath and he held her torso to him, staring down at her face and waiting for her to come around. She murmured something unintelligible and groaned against him, kicking her legs out and checking she could actually moved them. Her vision was clearing but the pain in her head was relentless.

“Lena, ya alright?” Daryl uttered, brushing a hand across her face and moving her hair and bandana away.

“What happened?” She managed to say.

“Think ya fainted.” He replied.

“For fuck sake” She complained, "That's inconvenient" Daryl smiled thinly. When she attempted to sit up he hovered a hand behind her back in anticipation. She growled to herself and rubbed her hand over her face. “Oh god, my head.”

“C’mon, gotta get ya up n’ back to Hershel.” He told her, linking his arms under hers and hauling her to her feet. The pressure in her skull made it feel like it might explode and she clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the feeling to subside and reached out to steady herself by holding Daryl’s broad shoulders.

“Think ya can ride?” He asked.

Once she’d grounded herself and took a deep breath, she opened her eyes nodded with steely determination. “I’ll be fine. I’m fine.” She confirmed s she began to stagger back they way they’d came. Daryl refused to let her walk unassisted and she’d eventually given in and let him thread an arm around the small of her back.

The ride back took its toll and Lena’s headache was starting to feel like someone had hit her with an axe. Her brain jiggled in her skull as she sat atop of Cleo along the way and she struggled to stay upright due to her head spinning and making her feel dizzy. Daryl had ridden closely by Cleo’s side and frequently looked up at Lena’ making sure she wasn’t about to topple off the horse and do herself more damage. By some miracle, she’d made it to just outside the gate when she appeared to give up and slumped forwards, closing her eyes and laying on Cleo’s neck. Daryl shot off his bike as fast as he could and hollered at Tyreese to signal someone to get Hershel.

 

His boots thumped on the concrete floor, almost in time with his rapid heartbeat as he worried more with every hour that passed. Why had no one told him anything? Why was he still outside all this time later? Surely Hershel knows what’s wrong with her?

Rick sat on the floor with his arms across his knees, observing Daryl’s nervous ritual. He had been there the entire time Daryl had and didn’t want to leave for fear of Daryl charging in and causing a ruckus. He had convinced him to wait and be patient, although now he could see it was wearing thin.

“Been like three hours, man. The hell’s goin’ on in there?” Daryl raged, bringing his hand up to the glass door and squinting inside. All he could see was the hallway and a few people milling about inside, going in and out of rooms. Hershel’s helpers. Volunteers.

“Need to give him time to work on her, Daryl.” Rick told him. “If he rushes he’s not being thorough.”

“Goin’ outta my damn mind here.” He responded, his back hitting the wall. He slumped down opposite Rick, who shot him a sympathetic look.

“The perils of having a girlfriend, huh?” Rick smiled at him. “You guys good? I mean, aside from this.”

Daryl sighed and chewed on his bottom lip, looking up at the man who had become a kind of brother to him. The man who led the group, who he took orders from and who he considered to be honorable enough to remain leader for the foreseeable future. Lena had also stepped into a kind of dual leadership role alongside Rick and Daryl found that he was still surprised by her courage and bravery, never even considering his own which was ever present and starkly obvious to everyone but him.

“We’re good.” He mumbled shyly. “Feels wrong sayin’ it, but now Caleb’s gone, we’re good.”

“I get that” Rick nodded. “She must think a lot of you. She’s usually a lone wolf and neither of you has left that block for almost two weeks.”

Daryl played with a rip in his jeans, the frayed material growing as he plucked at it nervously with his fingers. Never really feeling the need to discuss details of his personal life with anyone, it felt strange to him that he seemingly wanted to disclose information to Rick. He thought back over the time they had known one another, all the times they’d saved each other’s lives and formulated plans. He realized that he trusted him, and that took some doing.

“Told me she loves me.” He uttered.

Rick raised an eyebrow and his mouth curled up into a smile, more on one side than the other. His sweaty curls stuck to his temples and he lowered one leg, one arm still flopped over his raised knee.

“She did, huh?” He queried.

“Yeah.” He replied, his face blushing pink as he lowered his head briefly, trying to shield his shyness from Rick.

“That’s great, Man. I’m happy for you. You know I’m fond of her” Rick grinned.

“Still havin’ a hard time with it. First time anyone’s ever said it to me.” He explained. “Don’t want her to think I don’t…I mean, I- I do. I just-”

“Daryl” Rick interrupted, a smirk now plastered on his face. “Do you love her?”

Daryl hesitated, his eyes darting around as he thought. “Yeah, I do.”

“Then relax. Let it take its course. You’ll get there. Took me a while too with Lori.”he tilted his head back to the wall and looked up at the dark ceiling and Daryl could tell he was remembering what life was like before. “I Was terrified she’d run for the hills. But she didn’t. I think she knew how I felt, she just had to wait for me to say it. I wasn’t so good at saying stuff like that at first. It doesn’t have to be so complicated.”

A small nod in acknowledgment and thanks was all Daryl could muster as they both fell silent for a few moments. When someone walked past the inside of the door to the hospital, Daryl glanced up expectantly, but it was only one of the volunteers collecting fresh sheets from a cart on the inside of the window.

“Ya aint gotta stay here, man. Go get some sleep” Daryl told Rick who was looking increasingly tired.

They both jumped up when the door swung open and Hershel stepped out into the cold, dark hallway. His face was chirpy and he smiled at them both which put the fear of god into Daryl. He’d seen how some doctors smiled before delivering terrible news. He tightened his jaw and took a deep breath. 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! I appreciate every comment you take the time to write <3
> 
>  
> 
> Everything is changing.

“She OK?” Daryl immediately asked.

“She’s awake, she’s stable.” Hershel said

“What’s wrong with her?” Daryl demanded.

“I’ll let her tell you that. You can go along and see her.”

“Glad to hear she’s OK” Rick said, placing a hand on Daryl’s back. “I’ll leave you to it”

“Alright, thanks” Daryl said as Rick turned and started a conversation with Hershel. He quickly headed into the block and glanced into every cell as he passed. Lena was in her old cell at the end, tucked up in bed and laid on her side.

He quietly walked in and sank down into a metal chair by her bed. Her eyes were closed and she seemed peaceful, the color had returned to her cheeks at least. He gently traced the back of his index finger down her arm and she stirred, opening her eyes.

“Hey” She said sleepily.

“Hey, how ya doin?” He said taking hold of her hand and squeezing it.

“Better. Just exhausted.” She whispered.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” He pressed, wanting to know why she’d keeled over in the woods and probably would have died had she been alone and in close proximity to Walkers.

“I haven’t been eating or drinking much lately. I was dehydrated.” She sighed “I’m sorry If I worried you.”

He gave her a small smile. She had worried him, more than he’d ever worried about a person in his life. He had walked back and forth for over three hours in the hall and probably worn the paint off the floors surface. He had snapped at everyone that passed except for Rick and refused to go back to his cell without knowing if she was OK.

“Don’t matter” He dismissed “As long as ya OK. Gotta take better care of yourself.”

Coughing from the next cell caught her attention. It was hacking and relentless. She didn’t think she knew anyone else down here by name but she did know they were all here for the same reason.

“There’s a virus going around. Everyone down here has it.” She told him. “Hershel said I’m good, I haven’t got it. I really want to go back to our cell before I do get it though.”

“I’ll talk to him.” Daryl said. “Be right back” He stood up and kissed her forehead, noticing how warm she was.

At the front of the block, Hershel was stocking supplies into a cupboard. When Daryl approached him and stood beside him.

“Dehydration?” Daryl asked.

Hershel turned to him and blinked for a second “Oh, yes. She needs to take better care of herself from now on. I take it you will watch over her now you two are um…you two.”

“Yeah, sure” Daryl agreed. “She wants to get outta here, can I take her back to the block? She doesn’t wanna get this virus. If I’m honest I don’t want her down here either.”

The old man considered the prospect and stroked his white beard before turning back to the cupboard and flipping it shut.

“Uh…let me talk to her first, then you can take her back. She will need to take that drip with her. Wait here.” He ordered. Daryl complied, much to his irritation. He wanted out and he wanted Lena out, now.

 

She sighed when she saw Hershel enter the cell with a stern look on his face. He sat down in the metal chair that Daryl had used and clasped his hands in front of his face. She pushed herself up in the bed, adjusting her pillows with one hand and waited for the inevitable lecture that was about to come out of Hershel’s mouth.

“You can’t tell him.” She said “Doctor, patient confidentiality.”

Hershel gave her a knowing look and smiled under his beard.

“No, but you have to. This is serious, my dear.”

She huffed loudly and made a displeased growling noise in her throat, flapping her hands down onto the covers.

“What are my options?” She demanded. “Surgery?”

“Maybe. But I am a veterinarian, I am not trained for that kind of surgery on a human. I’m afraid you don’t have another option.” He told her honestly. “My advice is get used to the idea, it’s not going anywhere and Daryl…well, he seems quite taken with you. It’s only fair you tell him sooner, rather than later.”

Out of the blue, Lena felt her eyes begin to sting and brim with tears. Her heart lurched and her hands shot up to her face.

“Oh, fuck” She mumbled into her hands. Hershel got up and wrapped an arm around her, smoothing his palm up and down her skin in comfort. She began to shake as the realization hit her that everything was about to change and not in a way that she wanted.

“You know I will help you as much as I can.” Hershel assured her. She grabbed onto his other hand and curled her fingers around his, gripping them tightly in an attempt to find some stability. Her body was wracked with sobs and she hoped that Daryl wouldn’t appear and see her like this. Hershel maintained his grip on her until she calmed down and her breathing began to settle back down. She let go of him and used the sheets to wipe her wet and puffy face.

“OK. Please will you go and get him?” she asked timidly.

“Of course.” He said, brushing a strand of hair from her face as he stood up and left the room.

She shuffled around in the bed and wiped at her face with the backs of her hands, hoping she didn’t look too awful. When Daryl came back into the room, she smiled brightly at him, instantly dropping the charade when she realized how much of a big, fat liar she was going to look. She wasn’t happy at all, she was terrified. She asked him to close the door and draw the drape so that they wouldn’t be disturbed and he instantly began to fret.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He prodded, looming over her from the side of the bed.

“Sit down, please.” She pleaded. Instead of using the chair, he sat on the side of the bed and scooted around to face her. She held out her hand and he took it.

“OK, um…before I say anything else, I need to say something and I know you’re kinda freaked out by it but it’s needed. Right now, it’s needed.”

His brow furrowed, he had no idea where this was going or what she was talking about.

“Uh, OK” He said.

She took a deep breath and her eyes locked with his.

“I love you more than anything or anyone and you are the most important thing in my life. You make me so happy. All I have to do is look at you. I haven’t felt this content in years and it’s the apocalypse. It’s-it’s almost incomprehensible that I found the person that lights up my life and makes me feel beautiful and worth something and it took the end of the world for me to find it. I love you, Daryl.”

Daryl’s heart was pounding, he didn’t like where this was going. But for a few moments at least, he tried to focus on the task in hand, which was listening to what she was saying. Her confession had resulted in a rush of emotion inside him, but he pushed it down and proceeded to get to the bottom of this strange situation.

“Lena…What’s goin’ on?” He questioned.

Her lips parted as if she were going to speak again but nothing came out. Tears began to well in her eyes again and she angrily batted them away with her free hand.

“Hey, c’mon. Just tell me. S’alright.” He soothed, feeling her hand grip his tighter, almost to the point where her nails were penetrating his skin, leaving little half-moon shapes in his palm.

“I’m…” She tried, her chest heaving and a sob escaped her lips and she tried to stifle it with the back of her hand. “Oh god” She whined, her eyes flickering up to the ceiling.

He waited _. Be patient_. He thought. _She’ll say it. Just wait. For the love of god Just tell me._

“I’m pregnant.” She sniffed.

Daryl’s entire body went completely rigid and he thought his heart might actually stop for a second before it began to hammer in his chest. A loud exhalation escaped his lips and he moved back on the bed, letting go of her hand. His chest began to rise and fall rapidly as he placed his hands on his knees and stared at the side of the room. Everything suddenly got loud in his mind as her words echoed in his ears. This was big. Huge. Life changing and it was the last thing he had expected her to say.

Lena carried on crying, made worse by Daryl’s reaction. She hadn’t known how he would feel about it but far from being happy about it herself, she had expected something like this, although it didn’t make it any easier to watch. She felt the sudden need to explain things, but didn’t quite know what to say.

“Hershel thinks it’s five weeks, although he can’t be sure until he does an ultrasound. He’s going to ask Rick if we can check Woodbury for one. He thinks the symptoms are from dehydration, just made worse because I’m supposed to be eating and drinking for two I guess. We’ve done tests, multiple tests. They’re all positive-”

“Stop” He snapped. “Just…stop talkin’ for a second.”

He heard her whimper in response to his words, a pang of guilt spiking through him. He didn’t want to upset her further, but he needed time to organize his thoughts. He got up and dragged his hands over his face, walking back and forth in front of her bed. Never in his entire life had he ever thought he would have to deal with this situation.

“How did this happen?” He asked. “Thought ya had that, that thing in ya arm.”

She bit her lip, this was going to be another bombshell on its own.

“When your brother shot me, he shattered it. It fragmented in my arm and I didn’t realize. I was just stitched straight up.” She explained.

Daryl almost laughed. _Hell of a parting gift, Merle. Thanks, brother._

“Ahh, what the fuck” He said under his breath, still striding back and forth and covering his head with his hands every now and then.

“Hershel has taken the broken pieces out, he said it’s unlikely that this would happen, but the implant was embedded in my arm in a broken state for a long time, so the hormones would have been affected and it obviously wasn’t effective anymore. Daryl, please will you stop pacing and just talk to me.” She begged.

He stopped in his tracks, his back to her and he waited for a few moments before slowly turning around and attempting to look at her, as hard as he found it.

“I gotta ask” He started.

“It’s yours.” She shot back straight away. Not even needing to hear the question. “A hundred percent. I didn’t sleep with Caleb. I promise. You’re the only person I’ve had sex with for like two years. It’s your baby, Daryl.”

The words seemed to hit him like a smack in the face. _It’s your baby, Daryl._ He had no idea how to be a father, he’d never even thought about it. Merle had joked with him once or twice that he didn’t have children-that he knew of, but never once was it considered that Daryl would end up becoming a dad.

“I asked Hershel if surgery was an option. To terminate it” She said.

His head snapped around and he furrowed his brow at her, slowly moving back to perch on the side of the bed.

“Ya don’t want it?” He questioned.

“I-I don’t know. I guess I can’t say I wanted kids before, let alone in this world.”

“So, that’s it? Ya just want rid of it? No matter what I say?” He snapped.

“No! No, that’s not what I mean.” She quickly replied in a panic “I just asked about it as an option. Of course, I would want you to have a say. It’s not even an option anyway. Hershel isn’t experienced in that kind of surgery on humans. We don’t really have a choice.”

Seeming satisfied with her answer he looked into his lap and neither of them knew what to say. They just sat in each other’s presence with a heavy atmosphere hanging over them.

“I need some space” He finally said. Lena’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. “I’ll take ya back to the block, but then I need to think.”

She didn’t bother to respond, instead she just shuffled out of bed and weakly wandered around collecting her belongings, dragging her drip along with her. Daryl collected her coat and draped it over her shoulders while she sat on the chair and laced her boots. Neither of them spoke until they got back to their block and she had settled down on the bed.

“Should get some sleep. I’ll be back to check on ya later.” He mumbled as he collected his crossbow and smokes from the table.

She didn’t move, didn’t speak or even look at him. She just blinked and stared into space, hugging her knees and willing the painkillers Hershel had given her to kick in to ease her headache.

 

*****

 

Daryl had reached the top of the tower and told Glenn he would be taking over for a couple of hours. Glenn, who could see the downcast look on his face, didn’t argue and accepted this as a good thing as he made tracks back to the block to get a couple of hours of sleep.

Daryl settled on the floor of the balcony around the tower, his legs dangling off the side and his crossbow across his back. He lit a smoke and blew out smoke rings in front of him, observing how they grew in size and faded at the same time.

When Carol appeared at the top of the stairs, he was actually relieved to see her. She quietly settled down next to him in the same position and motioned for him to pass her his smoke. He complied and she took a long drag before passing it back.

“Glenn said you asked to cover him for a couple hours. What’s going on?” She prodded, knowing something was wrong. No one ever offered to cover guard duty shifts except Lena back in the beginning when she was still dead set on being away from everyone, yet around them at the same time.

“Nothin’.” He lied.

“You can’t lie to me, Daryl. I know you. I see you.” She said casually, nudging his shoulder.

He shook his head and looked out over the darkened trees, the horizon no longer visible and the only light coming from a small lantern inside the tower. He finished his cigarette before even considering answering Carol’s question and she seemed to accept it. Knowing he would speak when he was ready. He flicked the end out into the darkness and watched the small orange light vanish into the dark below.

“Lena’s pregnant.”

He knew Carol had done a double take after seeing her in his peripheral vision. He gingerly shifted his eyes around to her. Her fingers were across her mouth and she was trying to stop herself from bursting with excitement.

“It’s…yours?” She asked.

He nodded. “Yeah”

“Oh my god.” She gushed. “Oh, Daryl!”

He could see tears in her eyes and he scoffed loudly.

“Why ya doin’ that? C’mon.” he complained.

“Doing what?” She questioned.

“That cryin’ shit. Aint no need for that.” He mentioned.

“Because I’m happy!” She cried, placing a hand on his arm. “This is wonderful news! You’re my friend and you’re going to be a father!”

He didn’t know what to say. Did he tell her he was absolutely terrified at the prospect? Did he tell her that Lena was too? There were a lot of things he could have got off his chest there and then but he opted instead to remain quiet, which spoke volumes to Carol.

“You’re not happy” She stated “Why?”

He grumbled under his breath and shifted on the spot. “I dunno what I feel.” He admitted. “Lena, she’s pretty scared. Me, not usually scared of nothin’. But this… this is new.”

“That’s understandable. Especially with the way things are now. But we do just fine with Judith. We all pitch in, even you and she loves you. She doesn’t stop crying unless it’s her Uncle Daryl holding her.”

He gave her a small smile and remembered back to when he had handed baby Judith over to Lena, who had seemed awkward and unsure at first, but soon settled into feeding her and within an hour was cradling the sleeping baby as if she was a seasoned pro. He had enjoyed watching her out of her comfort zone. She always seemed so self-assured about everything else, but around a child, she was nervous and apprehensive.

“We aint got a choice. It’s happenin’ if we want it or not.” He sighed.

“Oh, now you listen to me.” She said sternly. “You do want it. I know you do. Daryl, before you met her you were unapproachable, volatile and angry. Now, you’re something else completely. She’s changed you and it’s because you’ve let her. You live together over in that block, you’re in a relationship. A real relationship and you’re good together. I see the way she looks at you. She loves you. There is no reason this should be a bad thing for the both of you. This baby is a product of the two of you.”

He was staring at her, hanging on every word and trying to understand where she was coming from.

“You’re going to be a good father, Daryl.” She informed him.

“Naw, I aint. Only had my ol’ man as an example. He was a violent son of a bitch.” He replied.

“Then let him be just that, a shining example of how you aren’t going to be. Be everything he wasn’t.” She suggested.

He paused for a moment before nodding and shrugging his crossbow further onto his back. Carol said nothing. Enjoying sitting with the knowledge that there would soon be another baby around to coo over, but also another young life to protect and another mouth to feed. But who knows what position they would be in come 9 months on. They were growing their own crops and managing to provide for a bus load of extra people. Their only major concern was medicine.

“I love her.” Daryl suddenly said, taking Carol completely off guard. She beamed from beside him and nudged his shoulder again.

“I know. I’ve known for a long time.” She said smugly. “I take it you’ve not told her that?”

“Not yet.” He confirmed.

“Well, you should” She expressed, pursing her lips and getting up from the edge of the balcony. She wandered to the top of the stairs and Daryl twisted around to look at her.

“I’m so happy for you. She’s beautiful and brave and smart and she’s yours. You did that. You also made a life and it’s a wonderful thing.” She said “Everything’s going to be OK. You’ll see.”

“Thanks” he uttered to her before she walked down the metal steps to the bottom.

 

*****

 

When Lena awoke in the morning, Daryl still hadn’t returned and she instantly thought the worst. This was it, the thing that would drag them apart and keep them there. She’d hoped that he wasn’t so shellshocked by the whole thing that he would at least promise to help her out even if he didn’t want to carry on their relationship. She considered leaving the prison altogether but changed her mind when she thought of tying to survive alone on the outside with a screaming baby strapped to her back.

Daryl had checked in on Lena three times during the night but hadn’t stayed. He had watched her sleep for a while before heading back out to the stable or to the tower, where he sat and played cards with Glenn. He wanted to go to her, to be near her, but the thought of her being pregnant with his child was still a little too weird for him. Deciding he was less likely to offend her if he just said nothing, he had opted to stay away and let her sleep.

She had removed her drip, showered and dressed and made her way to the stable to see Cleo by the time the sun had risen. Daryl was laying on his back on a wooden bench in the seating area of the next yard. He had dozed off but lifted his head when he heard the door slam across the way. He saw Lena, dressed in her camo pants and a white tank, strolling over to Cleo’s stable. He jumped up from his bench and his feet crunched onto the gravelly ground as he strode over to her. People pottered about in both yards, going about their various tasks. Some of them looked up as Daryl raced past them and over to Lena.

“Lena!” He called out. She stopped halfway into the stable and brought a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, squinting at him. When he reached her, he stopped close enough for her to think he might kiss her, looking down at her and surveying every detail of her face.

“Shouldn’t be up, ya need to rest.” He said under his breath in case anyone around should hear him.

“I’m fine.” She shrugged. “I feel better.”

“Lena…” he started. She caught his eye and noticed his unease. “…gotta take it easy. From now on.”

She gave him a slightly confused look and wondered if this meant that he cared what happened to the baby.

“I know. I will.” She replied. “I’m just going to let Cleo out and sit on the grass for a while. I can’t sit in there alone anymore.”

Daryl took her comment exactly as she’d intended it, as a subtle dig that he had abandoned her all night when she needed him there. But instead of being mad at her for it, he let her have it. She was as shocked and reeling as he was and they both needed time to figure things out, they just had their own ways of doing that.

“Im’ma head out with Rick today, try n’ get that ultrasound machine Hershel needs. Gonna try Woodbury and if not, then the veterinary hospital you and I hit when ya first got here. I dunno what ya think about tellin’ people yet, but he’s just said to Rick that he needs it to scan the lungs of the people that have the virus.” He explained, his fingers grasping at the edge of his shirt by his side. A nervous tick that he hadn’t noticed himself.

“I’m not ready to tell anyone yet.” She said solemnly.

Daryl panicked slightly, he had told Carol last night and while he knew she wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone, he had still told someone else without Lena’s knowledge.

“Look, Carol knows. I only told her. No one else. I won’t unless it’s alright with you. Don’t really want everyone knowin’ yet either.” He confessed.

Daryl told Carol most things, it was a fact that Lena had learned to live with and while she felt a stab of irritation that he hadn’t asked her, she knew the information would go no further.

“OK.” She nodded. “What did she say?”

He smiled at the floor, unable to help it when he recalled Carol’s reaction. He was pleased she was happy, but he didn’t yet know if he shared her sentiments.

“She’s was real happy” he told her.

She mirrored his slight smile when he looked up at her.

“Anyways, I better get goin. Hershel said he’d stop by, check on ya. See ya when we get back.” He said, nibbling on his thumb before awkwardly leaning forward and kissing her cheek. Her hand shot up and she placed it on the side of his face, holding him there for a second and nuzzling into him.

“Be careful.” She whispered “we need you.”

 

*****

 

Cleo lay on the grass next to Lena in the sun, her freshly groomed coat shimmering in the light. She happily nibbled on the grass around her and nudged Lena’s arm, snorting in disapproval every time she stopped tickling her neck. Lena couldn’t see anyone else out in the yard from behind Cleo’s big body and so took the opportunity to lean back on her elbow, sliding her top up with one hand and spreading her fingers out across her abdomen.

It’s was strange to think that there was life under the surface, life that had been made by her and Daryl. She couldn’t even imagine what it was going to feel like when it grew to the point where she showed, then it would move and frighten her all over again.

She wasn’t maternal, not in the slightest. What if she wasn’t a good mother? What if she was too overbearing and pushy like her own mother? What if she just didn’t care at all? As she looked down at her still flat and toned stomach, she couldn’t help feeling like her entire world was going to crash down around her. All the control she craved and clung to for so long was now gone. She now felt like nothing more than a lost soul wandering alone in a crumbling world.

Cleo shifted next to her, her long head swinging around and snuffling over Lena’s shoulder and down to her stomach. She froze as her horse gently sniffed at her skin and her mouth hung open in shock. Cleo’s nose wavered from left to right over her belly button and Lena could feel the hot breath snorting gently from her nose. She smiled in amazement.

“Can you tell, girl?” She whispered “You can sense it, can’t you?”

The horse stopped moving for a long time, her nose staying in the same place and Lena thought it must have been at least 5 minutes before she reared her head up and took up up her previous position. Lena exhaled a breath she had been holding for the duration, smoothing a palm over her stomach and leaning her head on Cleo.

 

*****

 

Hershel had kept his word and checked in on Lena during the day, finding her still sat outside on the grass in the evening. He brought her food and water and sat with her in a comfortable silence for a while, both of them watching Cleo trot about and throw her head in the air. When a truck appeared in the distance, Hershel helped Lena to her feet so she could walk with him to the gate to greet Daryl and Rick upon their return.

Rick was first out of the truck, his clothes caked in blood. Lena could tell it wasn’t his from the color. It was dark, coagulated, belonging to a Walker. Daryl emerged next and was the same, he stank of rotting flesh and his hair and the side of his face was smeared with blood. He reached into the back of the truck and began rustling around with some wires. Rick immediately rounded the vehicles rear to help him and they both heaved a bulky stand and monitor to the floor, setting it on its wheels.

“This is better than I expected” Hershel commented as he stepped closer and began examining the machine. “Much higher tech than I’m used to, thank the lord we have generators!” He grinned.

“We’ll drop it off” Rick told him. He and Daryl both took a side each and lifted it a few inches into the air, knowing its wheels would prove useless against the bumpy terrain of the yard.

Lena couldn’t take her eyes off Daryl as he passed, he glanced up at her, the bloodied side of his face barely recognizable. She turned to Hershel once Rick was out of earshot.

“Please will you scan me?” She asked.

“Of course” He replied. “Once I figure out how to work that thing, give me a couple days, sweetheart.”

She laughed quietly and he draped an arm around her shoulder, leading her back up to the blocks.

 

*****

 

Lean had tried to show her face with the others that evening, putting on a brave face and indulging in a few campfire games if anything just to regain a sense of normality. Although she knew Carol was aware of her situation, she didn’t feel as though she was looked at any differently. Carol never mentioned it and treated her exactly the same as she always did.

Daryl was nowhere to be found and Lena had simply shrugged when Maggie had inquired after him. Deciding that a couple of hours of social interaction was quite enough for one night, she made her excuses and retreated to the yard to lead Cleo back to her stable. By the time she arrived, Cleo was more than happy to walk into the stable by herself, having been waiting outside patiently for some time. Lena followed her in and checked her food and water were topped up. When the door opened, she was pleased to see Daryl standing there. He was cleaner, but there was a noticeable gash across one of his arms which made Lena frown when she looked at it.

“You’re injured.” She stated.

“It’ll heal.” He dismissed. “How you doin?”

“I’m fine.” She chirped “Spent some time with the others, needed a distraction.”

Cleo, who was facing away from them initially was gradually turning around, much like a boat in a small harbor and Lena suddenly remembered something from earlier.

“Oh, I have something to show you.” She grinned enthusiastically. “Watch”

She clicked her fingers at Cleo, getting her attention and waiting for the horse to get into a more comfortable position.

“Cleo… what’s this?” She hummed as she lifted up her top at the front.

Daryl’s eyebrows pinched together in disbelief as he observed Cleo begin to sniffle at Lena’s stomach, tenderly grazing the skin with her velvety nose.

“What is it, Cleo? Is it a baby?” Lena cooed.

His mouth dropped open at the sight, he had never seen anything like it before. He knew Lena’s bond with her horse was strong, but nothing could have prepared him for this. Cleo stopped sniffing and was now gently touching Lena’s stomach over and over with her nose. Softly nudging.

“I thought it was a one off, but she’s been doing it for most of the day.” She grinned.

Daryl moved closer to them and Lena held out her hand to him, he took it and she covered his fingers with hers, placing them on top of Cleo’s head, between her eyes and they both stood there watching as Lena’s faithful, animal companion communicated that she knew what was happening with every gentle touch of her nose.

“Never seen anythin’ like this before.” Daryl admitted.

“Me neither.” Lena agreed “She just, knows.”

Daryl huffed in amazement and she saw a smile creep across his face. Cleo took a step back and resumed her awkward maneuver to her water trough and he slid his hand from under hers and shoved it in his pocket. She dropped her top and swallowed hard.

“Hershel is going to scan me in a couple of days.” She informed him.

“Can I be there?” He asked straight away.

“Daryl, I wouldn’t have gone without you.” She assured him, stroking his cheek with her thumb. “I’m going to head back to the cell, get some rest.”

He followed her out of the stable and to the block. Neither of them really knew what to talk about anymore, the news having changed everything. For the rest of the night, they took part in small talk and both wished things weren’t so complicated. Daryl found himself afraid to touch her, unsure if she wanted him that close to her or not and being too afraid to ask. He was on eggshells and so was she.

 

*****

 

The mules were keeping the Walkers at bay, but work still needed to be done to keep stragglers away from the Fence and the next morning, Lena had rounded up Carl and Beth to teach them how to effectively work the fence. She provided them with a large knife each and showed them how to position their bodies for maximum impact, telling them to aim upwards, at the top of the Walkers throats or into their eyes if they found the skulls too hard to crack. She was impressed by their gusto and willingness to help but had attracted some less than agreeable looks from some of the older members of the community. Ignoring them, she told herself that Carl and Beth were old enough to pull their weight and would need to know how to look after themselves should anything happen to them.

As Carl pierced the eyeball of a Walker in front of him, Lena nodded and pat him on the back.

“Good job. Next time, keep a little more distance when you pull the knife out, you don’t want to be wearing their eyeballs afterwards. Like this” she instructed, slipping her own knife from its holster and slamming it into the eye socket of the next corpse along. She took a strategic step back as she retracted her knife, allowing black goo from its eye to drop to the floor instead of in her boots.

“See?” She chirped “You should have a strategy for everything, just in case. I’m not saying you’ll always use it, but it’s better than going in blind, right?” She said to Carl.

“Right” He agreed “I got the next one.”

Beth was busying herself further along, stabbing her way through a throng of Walkers.

“Excellent, Beth!” Lena called out “Keep going!”

 

Daryl was watching from the bleachers next to Carol. He was holding baby Judith, who had been dumped on him by Carol and she had refused to listen to his protests, telling him he needed to ‘get some practice in.’ Judith was fast asleep and completely still in his lap, which he was grateful for. He winced when he saw Lena stab a Walker through the fence.

“She shouldn’t be doin’ that” He commented, quickly glancing around to make sure no one could hear him.

“Why not?” Carol asked.

“She’s pregnant.” He stated.

Carol smiled “She still has arms, Daryl. There will come a time when she will have to be extra careful, yes. But right now, she wants to keep her sense of normality. By all means stop her from going too far, but remember, she’s tougher than she looks and she’s not made of glass.”

He grunted and looked down at Judith, her pudgy, pink cheeks and her soft, baby skin seemed so strange to him. He hadn’t had much contact with babies at all in his life. In fact, Judith was the first one he’d ever held. He couldn’t say he disliked it, it was just different.

“You should talk to Hershel” she suggested “He can tell you what you need to let her do and what she needs to stop doing.”

He nodded and side glanced at her. “OK” he said, accepting her idea immediately.

“You’re concerned.” She commented, catching his eye.

“Yeah” He said.

Carol smiled broadly at him, leaning to the side and bumping shoulders with him gently so as not to wake Judith. “Concerned about her? Or the baby?”

He grumbled again and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, biting down on it momentarily.

“Ahh, I dunno.” He complained.

“Let me ask you something.” She demanded, turning her body to face him more and decreasing the volume of her voice. “If she lost that baby tomorrow, how would you feel?”

He stared at her for what seemed like forever and she could almost see the thoughts running through his head. She knew she was forcing him to confront his true feelings about the situation and felt that it was needed.

“Pretty shitty.” He finally mumbled, holding eye contact with her.

“There’s your answer.” She said knowingly “You care about that child. You do want it. I hate to say it, but I told you so.”

“Just love bein’ right, don’t ‘cha?” He scoffed.

Judith wriggled and opened her eyes. She peered up at Daryl who lifted her from his lap and cradled her properly in his arms. She waved her tiny hands in the air and began gurgling and Daryl considered the fact that everything might not be so bad after all.

 

*****

 

Hershel prepared a cell for Lena, drawing some drapes across the bars and setting up the ultrasound. She had arrived with her brave face on, as if nothing phased her, but he could tell that deep down she was lost and scared. He had worried when she had appeared alone, only to be put at ease when she told him that Daryl was on his way from guard duty. She sat down on the bed and fluffed up the pillows behind her so she could sit up and still see the monitor. Hershel flicked switches and pressed buttons all the while looking completely baffled until the screen came alive.

“Ah!” He cried “My apologies, I’m not so good with these things. The one I had was for cattle.”

“You can imagine I’m a cow if it helps.” She laughed “I’ll look like one soon enough”

“Now now, let’s not be having any of that talk. Pregnancy is a miracle” he scolded, wagging a finger at her.

Lena had always thought that pregnancy was more down to science and biology than miracles, but she wasn’t about to argue with the only man remotely qualified to get her through this.

“If you don’t mind, I need to get established here, then we can start when Daryl arrives.” He instructed.

“Sure” she smiled, lifting her top up and tucking it under her bra. She unbuttoned her pants and braced herself.

The gel was freezing and she would have appreciated a warning. “Really are treating me like a cow, huh? I take it they aren’t forewarned about the ice-cold gel” she quipped.

“Haha, sorry.” He chuckled. “OK, I’m just going to make sure we can see what we need to and then we can wait for Daryl.”

He pressed a couple more buttons and placed the scanner on her stomach. Her eyes stayed away from the screen at first, but curiosity got the better of her and she found that she was turning her head, wanting to catch a glimpse of something, anything.

Daryl stumbled into the cell, out of breath and red faced and Lena jumped at the sudden crashing noise as the cell door swung open. Hershel quickly lifted the scanner from Lena’s abdomen.

“Sorry” he puffed “I miss it?”

“Not at all” Hershel smiled “come on in, close the door, son”

Daryl gingerly moved further into the room, making sure the door was closed and the drape was pulled. He sat down on a seat next to the bed and rested a hand on the mattress beside Lena.

“Alright, lets take a look” Hershel announced as he placed the scanner back in position. “Now, it’s early days so you may not see a lot and what you do see won’t resemble a small human just yet. But at least we can check that everything’s tickin’ over fine so far. Ah, here we are. Right there.”

Daryl’s head was low and he was staring at the screen through his hair. Lena just looked confused.

“Looks like you’re a little further along than I thought, honey.” He continued. “I’d assume maybe seven or eight weeks, probably eight, but I’m no expert on human pregnancy. I just try my best”

Lena quickly looked at Daryl who appeared positively terrified before her vision moved to the screen. She could see a small, dark blob with a tiny, kidney bean shaped object with what looked like minuscule arms and legs.

“Oh my god” she breathed, tears forming in her eyes.

Daryl took hold of her hand but the rest of his body remained motionless as he continued to stare at the screen. She was glad of the physical contact from him and it served to reassure her that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Are you both Ok?” Hershel asked them both. Lena gave him a tearful nod and Daryl ignored him, completely astonished by what he was seeing. His breath was coming in short sharp bursts and his heart was pounding. His face has taken on a pasty, white hue.

“Daryl” Hershel said, snapping him out of his trance.

“Sorry, W-what?” He stammered.

“I asked if you were alright”

“Oh, Yeah. I’m Uh… I’m good.”

Lena sniffed loudly and caught Daryl’s attention. He gripped her hand tighter and rubbed his thumb over her fingers while shooting her a concerned look. She was still crying but he couldn’t work out if they were tears of regret or happiness.

“Everything looks fine and Dandy to me. Now, If I just hover around some, I might be able to get us a heartbeat. Listen close, folks.”

The noise from the machine just sounded like white noise to Daryl, like the sound their old TV used to make before Merle slammed his fist down onto it to jolt it back to life. Lena unexpectedly found herself wanting to hear something, longing for the static sound to change. When it did, she held her breath.

Daryl felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when the subtle thudding noise filled the room. It was a hell of a lot faster than he’d expected and the entire experience felt like he was watching someone else go through it.

A huge, loud sob escaped Lena and she threw her head back on the pillows, bringing an arm up and over her eyes. Her chest was jumping as she tried to suck in oxygen, only to be hindered by her uncontrollable crying.

Hershel whirled around and cast his gaze worriedly over her while Daryl shifted his chair closer to her and tapped her hand.

“Hey, Lena. S’alright. Give me your hands, both of em. C’mon.” He said. She lowered her arm and he leaned across her legs to take hold of her other hand.

Hershel focused back on the machine and printed the image on the screen. He handed it to Daryl, who very slowly pinched the corner of it and held it in front of him. He then removed the gel from Lena and she pulled her top down and buttoned up her pants, shifting onto her side to Face Daryl.

“Everything seems good so far. That’s a strong heartbeat. Lena, you must make sure you eat and drink plenty. That little baby needs all the nutrients it can get. We might have to find a way to get some pregnancy vitamins for ya too. I’ll give you two a moment. If you have any questions, you know where I am.” Hershel told them before he left the room.

Daryl and Lena were reeling from what they had seen and heard as they both looked down at the image that he had placed on the bed next to her. She wanted to ask him so many questions, but everything was muddled in her mind. Her emotions were a mess and she hated how tearful she’d become. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes red, her chest heaved and she wiped her face with the back of her free hand before tracing a finger over the little, oddly shaped blob on the image. She had calmed slightly but was still sniffing.

“Feels real now.” She whispered.

She had fought for so long to feel something when every part of her had felt numb. She had used violence and sex to provoke any kind of feeling and now she felt it all at once and it was suffocating. Trying to get a grip of her own mind was taking most of her energy and then there was the fact that Daryl was pretty much a closed book at this point.

“I wish I knew what you were thinking.” She blurted out. He raised his eyes from the photo to her.

“So, do I.” He replied, sitting back in the chair and rubbing his face with his hands.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the love. I hope everyone is still enjoying this after it took a bit of a turn. There is also a inspo/mood board link at the beginning of chapter 1 for those of you that like to have a visual representation of the inspiration behind this story.
> 
> P.S. Sorry about the big spaces, try as I might I just cannot get it to correct.

When they returned to the cell, Lena threw the scan photo onto the table as she passed. She sat on the bed and took a deep breath. Her skin felt like it was itching on the inside, she was anxious and needed to do something that wasn’t sitting around thinking about weather or not she and Daryl could cope with the fact that there was a new life growing inside her.  
He stood opposite her, his back against the wall. He was next to the table she had discarded the photo on.

  
“Are you going to leave me?” She suddenly asked.

  
Daryl shot her an almost angry look laced with complete and utter confusion. 

  
“What?!” He exclaimed “No, why would ya even ask me that?”

  
“You’ve barely touched me…since.” She started “You won’t talk to me or tell me what you feel about this whole thing. You leave me in the middle of the night, don’t think I don’t notice because I do. You’re distant, almost afraid to go near me. You talk to Carol more than me. Just tell me if you can’t do this or if you don’t want to so I can leave and figure out how to do it alone.”

  
He was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected this from her. He knew he hadn’t reacted in the best way but he was trying and as time had progressed he felt like he had a shot at figuring things out. But now, she had thrown him a curveball and made him question every decision he’d made.

  
“That really what you think?” he asked.

  
“What do you expect?” She shot back “I’ve got nothing to go on here. You won’t talk to me.”

  
He stepped back and forth for a moment, not angry now but bewildered. Then, he turned on his heel and left the room.

 

 

*****

 

  
He had been gone for hours. Not returning until the next day when the sun was its highest in the sky. A blue pickup rolled through the gates stacked with boxes in the back. Lena watched from the tower, rifle in hand as he backed the truck up to their block and began unloading everything. Rick had offered to give him a hand, only to be dismissed angrily and then ignored. He wore a gray sleeveless shirt, covered in sweat with bloodstains she could see all the way from her tower in the sky. His hair was messy and he carried a cigarette pinched between his lips as he worked, pausing only to wipe his brow every now and then.

  
When he moved the truck back to its usual place and retreated into the block, Lena wandered to the other side of the tower and kept an eye on the Walkers that were staggering about in front of the fence. She knew that Carl and Judith’s mother had died giving birth to Judith, she also knew that Carl had been the one to shoot her before she turned. A burden no child should have to bare. She worried about when the time came for her. Would she be safe? What would happen if there were complications? All questions she knew she would have to put to Hershel.

  
She missed the old her already. The almost cold, unfeeling her who only cared about where her next meal came from. Life somehow seemed simpler back then. But she would never erase the fact that she had met Daryl.

  
After her guard shift, she ate with the rest of the group and played Chess with Beth before feigning fatigue as an excuse to try and clear the air with Daryl. When she got back to the block. He was sat on the metal table in the middle, sharpening his knife. The cell to his right had been covered with a sheet so she couldn’t see inside. He did a double take at her as she walked to their cell, shrugging off her swords and hanging them on a nail in the wall.

  
“Lena” He said quietly. “Come here.”

  
She remained where she was for a few seconds, trying to anticipate how this was going to go. If it was heading for a full-blown argument, she had already made the decision to bail before it got too bad. She gradually moved out of the cell and stood in front of him. He slid his knife back into the sheath that she had made him and hopped down from the table, nudging his head in the direction of the sheet across the bars.

  
“Take a look.” He told her.

  
She obliged and stepped closer to the door, tugging the sheet down to reveal what appeared to be a cell full to the brim with baby supplies. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as she moved closer, taking it all in. There was a crib, Moses basket, clothes and toys all stacked up on the bed. She crept inside as if something might jump out at her, her eyes scanning the piles of baby supplies. She even spotted a baby name book. 

  
“If we’re gonna do this. We’re gonna do it right.” He said from the doorway, slightly worried that she was looking at him liked he’d grown an extra head. “You’re gonna be a better mom than your mom was. N’ I’m gonna be a better father than my ol’ man.”

  
She was still just staring at him and it was making him feel uncomfortable. Her eyes were so wide she reminded him of a deer in the headlights of a car.

  
“Ya wanted me to talk. So, I got some shit to say, I been thinkin’ all the time I been out. I aint good at this, but im’ma try. OK?” He asked, earning an apprehensive nod in response.

  
“Alright, um…I aint talked much ‘cause I’m still figuring out what to say. I didn’t know how I felt at first. I don’t scare easy but this has got me fuckin’ terrified.” He said, his hair dropping in front of his eyes “But after yesterday, hearin’ that heartbeat…” his face broke into a smile that was a wide, unashamed smile she was sure she had never seen before. “…It was fuckin’ amazin’, Lena.” He was now almost laughing and Lena’s face was starting to subtly mirror his as she found it hard not to smile as his words.

  
“It was, wasn’t it?” She squeaked.

  
“Yeah” He laughed finally, shaking his head “I heard my kids’ heartbeat. That’s crazy.”

  
An awkward breath of amusement escaped her lungs and she lifted a hand to her mouth, nervously playing with her lip ring. Daryl gradually stopped grinning and grew more serious again.

  
“Sorry if I been kinda distant. It aint that I don’t wanna touch ya. I guess I’m just a little weirded out by the whole thing. Feel like im’ma hurt ya or somethin’. Just need to give me some time to adjust.”

  
“OK” She answered simply, still playing with her piercing. She was looking at him with her big green eyes and he suddenly remembered how stunning he thought she was. He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn’t stopped to remember all of the reasons why he was with her. He didn’t want a child to change anything between them and so was determined to be the best version of himself, for the both of them as well as the baby.

  
“I got all this stuff for us and for Lil’ Asskicker. Thought we could share it.” He suggested.

  
She grinned at the sound of his nickname for Judith and hoped he would come up with something just as effective for their baby.

  
“I just kept drivin’, house to house until I found all this in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Most of it aint been used. Knew we were gonna need a lot of stuff so I figured sooner was better than later.”  
Lena ran her fingertips along the bars of the crib and tilted her head as she paced back and forth in front of Daryl’s impressive collection.

  
“I got this” He lunged forward and picked up the baby name book “Kid’s gonna need a name n’ I just know I aint gonna like much, so best start lookin’ now.”

  
Lena beamed at him “I get the feeling it’ll take us a while to agree on that too.” She affirmed.

  
He placed the book back where he found it and stepped closer to her, grazing the back of his fingers down her arm.

  
“I aint goin’ nowhere, Lena.” He assured her. She nodded and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to her and burying her face in his neck. He placed a hand over the back of her hair and gripped her to him with him arms.

  
“I’m sorry I said all that.” She muffled against his skin.

  
“Shh, s’ok” he hushed.

  
Her eyes were closed but she opened them to see another book that had caught her attention.

  
“Is that… Goodnight Moon?” She gasped, shooting out a hand and snatching the floppy paperback from under a box. She flipped through the pages and stared at Daryl in amazement. “I used to love this as a kid! My brother used to read it to me.”

  
“Really? Me too” he responded “well, not Merle. Merle couldn’t read shit. I read it to myself. Used to sit under my sheets at night with a torch readin’ it aloud. Thought as long as I was under the sheets no one could hear me. What a dumb ass.”

  
Lena laughed and tucked the book under her arm, taking his hand and walking across the block to their cell. She noticed instantly that the scan photo she’d left on the table was no longer there and that Daryl had pinned it to the wall beside their bed. A simple gesture that had meant everything to her. It was one thing collecting a myriad of baby supplies, but it was quite another that he had placed so much meaning on a photo of their unborn child. She stood and stared at the picture on the wall, ‘Goodnight Moon’ still clutched in her fingers. Instead of saying anything about it, she just pulled him to her and kissed him. Their first proper kiss since they’d found out that everything had changed.

 

 

*****

 

  
A day later and Daryl was in the guard tower with Lena by his side. Two sets of legs dangling over the edge and a baby name book clasped in her hands. Daryl passed a bottle of water to her and she shook her head. He didn’t move, the bottle still waiting in his hand in front of her. He looked up at wearily. She had drunk four of them during the day and while she felt better and more awake, his over-attentiveness was becoming tiresome already.

  
“Really, Daryl? I can’t stop peeing!” She protested.

  
“C'mon. Ya collapsed from dehydration, the kids thirsty.” He mumbled, jutting the bottle up closer to her face.

  
She snatched the bottle from his hand, grumbling under breath. She took a large gulp and set it down next to her, picking up the book again from her lap.

  
“What do you want it to be?” She asked

  
“A baby.” He replied. She scoffed and slapped him on the arm.

  
“You know what I mean.” She scowled.

  
Daryl thought for a moment about his preference and realized he didn’t really have one.

  
“Either.” He shrugged. “You?”

  
Lena tilted her head to the side as she thumbed through the book, stopping at the girl’s names and running a finger down a page.

  
“A girl would be nice.”  She considered “a friend for Judith.”

  
“Sure Rick would be down with that.” Daryl agreed.

  
“You really don’t have a preference?” She pressed.

  
“I dunno, Maybe. Aint really thought about it I guess. So, you want a girl, huh?”

  
“Yes” She replied sternly. She lowered her head, looking at her stomach “Hey, you in there! Be a girl!” She laughed, hearing Daryl do the same.

  
“Ya fuckin’ crazy” he chuckled.

  
She folded the page at the start of the girl’s names and shut the book. Leaning her arms on the cold metal railing in front of her. She looked down at the Walkers below and the people wandering across the yard, some tending to crops, some building structures in the final light of the day before they would have to retreat due to it being too dark.

  
“What about ‘Merle’ as a middle name?” She suggested. “If it’s a boy.”

  
She saw Daryl almost flinch from the corner of her eye before he snapped his head around to look at her.

  
“Really?” He asked.

  
“Yeah. He was your brother and OK he shot me and almost killed Glenn but he gave his life to save mine and Hershel’s. He redeemed himself in the end. Maybe we should honor that.”

  
Daryl was studying her face, his lips parted as if he were in shock at her suggestion. It was the last thing he ever expected her to say, but something he was touched by. The corner of his mouth quirked up into a half smile and his eyes flickered downwards as he thought of his brother.

  
“If he were still around, bet ya ass he’d be laughin’ so hard at the thought of me bein’ a father they could hear him in the next state. He’s probably the reason we’re in this situation.” He huffed.

  
She smiled broadly at him, reaching a hand onto his thigh. “I think our inability to stay away from each other is the real thing to blame for this.” She said. “Hershel did say there was a possibility the implant stopped working before then if it was old.”

  
“Guess it doesn’t really matter no more.” He mused. “Think he’d be proud, if we used his name.”

  
“OK” she grinned, shuffling closer to him and tucking herself under his arm, which he raised as soon as he saw her move closer. She brought her legs up and bent them at the side of her, using his lap as a pillow. He brushed her hair from her face and gently tickled over her neck. Hearing her sigh in contentment.

 

In the weeks that followed Lena and Daryl had tried their best to keep everyone out of their block so as not to let the news out before they were ready to tell everyone. Hershel had kept a close eye on Lena and Daryl had been out multiple times in search of vitamins, only to return empty handed every time. Lena was going stir crazy being shut behind the fences and she could tell the others were suspicious as to why she wasn’t making her usual runs with Cleo.

  
When Daryl was out one day, she geared up and set to preparing Cleo with her saddle, bridle and armor and decided to take advantage of the fact that there was no one to stop her from going anywhere. No one except Hershel who was working in the infirmary and Carol, who she hadn’t seen all morning.

  
Cleo insisted on nudging at Lena’s stomach every opportunity she got. Which only served to make her giggle and pat the horse’s neck, still totally dumbfounded that she seemed to know what was happening. She didn’t have a clear idea of where she was heading, she just knew she needed to get out and so had packed enough for an overnight stay, anticipating that Daryl would be furious with her but being willing to endure his wrath.

  
Sasha was on the gate and she smiled broadly when she saw Lena and Cleo noisily clicking along the ground.

  
“Where are you two headed?” She asked.

  
“Thought I’d ride around, see if I can pick up any more food. I’m kind of bored” Lena told her.

  
“Okay, stay safe, see you later.” Sasha replied as she yanked the heavy chain and hauled the gate open.

 

The rain was wispy, floating and enough to keep Cleo cool but not enough to cloud Lena’s vision. It hadn’t rained in as far back as she could remember and the prison was in desperate need of it to fill its tanks. Her hood provided her with enough protection from the rain, she had stolen it from a corpse at a farmhouse because of its waxy exterior, meaning that water seems to just slide right off it, like a duck’s feathers.  
She pulled on the reins slightly and Cleo came to an abrupt stop. They had been walking for hours and were on the outskirts of a town. Knowing she had to let Cleo rest and fuel up on feed and water, she steered her into some nearby trees while she filled an upturned trash can lid with water from a bottle on the saddle. When Cleo had exhausted this, she filled it with a couple of handfuls of feed, careful not to bloat her out on her long journey. While Cleo ate, Lena scoped out the town, keeping a watchful eye for any people. There were three walkers swaying aimlessly on the spot in the middle of the main road, but everything else seemed quiet.

  
Leaving Cleo where she was and trusting that her odorous armor would keep her safe enough, Lena strode into the middle of the street and Quickly flicked her throwing knives into the air in front of her, setting them on a collision course with the heads of the two nearest Walkers. The thudding of the metal hitting the bone could be heard echoing around the abandoned buildings and the two threats sank to the floor. The final and furthest Walker began to turn around and stagger towards her. She unsheathed a sword, readying it in her hands and began to walk towards it, quickening her pace as she got closer. Swinging the sword with all her might, she sliced the Walker’s head in half above it’s nose, the top fell off, smacking on the floor and leaving a wet, stinking mess. The Walker wobbled on its feet and Lena withdrew her other sword, stabbing them both through it’s body, one in either side of it’s gut like a sausage on a skewer.

  
_May as well enjoy myself before I’m too big to lace my own boots._   She thought

  
She shoved it back and used her boot to force it backwards, retracting her swords and sending it tumbling onto it’s back, laying on the tarmac. She quickly collected her knives from the heads of the others and scanned the store fronts. Most of them looked to have picked clean, the windows smashed and carts discarded outside. Her attention was drawn to a clothing store on a corner, a large, seemingly outdated business but Lena pressed ahead anyway. She slid her knives back into their holsters and kept one sword out, tapping on the door before quietly creeping inside.

  
She checked the entire store and found no evidence of any other Walkers. Passing a mirror on the wall, she did a double take, almost failing to recognize herself it had been so long since she’d properly looked in a mirror. She stood motionless, staring at the woman in the reflection. Pushing her hood from her face and pulling her bandana down to her neck she observed her bright green eyes, her textured hair, her flawless skin. She wondered if the baby would look like her or Daryl. She turned to the side, lifting up her top and lightly smoothing a hand over her abdomen. She wasn’t showing yet, but it wouldn’t be long. She dropped her top and began looking around at the clothes still hanging on the rails. Her eyebrows shot up when her vision lifted and she noticed a sign in the corner of the store.

  
‘Maternity Wear.’

  
“Bingo” She smiled.

 

Half an hour later and Lena had filled her backpack with maternity clothes and was making her way out of the store almost daydreaming to herself when a strangled groan caught her attention. Her eyes shot up and she froze when she realized the entire street was full of Walkers and they were making their way towards her. She backed up, spinning around and charging back into the store. There were too many to fight by herself. Her heart started hammering in her chest, she could hear it in her ears. Fear slammed through her body when it occurred to her that if she were to get bitten, it wouldn’t just be her who would die.

  
She ran to the back wall and frantically whirled around, looking for a plan. Seeing the door to the staff area, she ran towards it and tried the handle. Locked. She stepped back, bringing a leg up and kicking just below the handle as hard as she could. The Walkers were now half way into the store and after the second kick, Lena was starting to feel an unusual sense of panic that was taking over her usually calm and collected demeanor under pressure. She used a sword to topple over a few clothes rails, causing the Walkers to fall over them and earning her a few precious seconds. She kicked the door again and it flung open. She ran inside, slamming the door behind her and dragging a shelving unit across it. Satisfied it would hold for now, she backed against the far wall and caught her breath.

  
The hall she was stood in was painted a nicotine stained off white color and boasted various posters about making customers happy. At the far end, she could see it opened up onto a larger room full of lockers and a sofa. She made tracks towards it, her sword held out in front of her and her breath now labored and jagged. When she reached the staff lounge, she quickly glanced around for anything that may help her situation. The room was empty and Lena immediately shot towards the cupboards above the sink. One of them held a few boxes of rotting food and a small tub of Tylenol. She grabbed the painkillers and moved onto the lockers. To her dismay, they were all locked.

  
_OK, OK, Think._ She thought. Her eyes falling on the drainer by the sink. She jumped towards it, snatching up a knife and started to work on the lock of the first locker. She slid it into the gap at the side and began trying to lift the latch. It lifted but fell a few times and she found her patience was fading fast. She took a deep breath, grounded herself and tried again. When the lock freed and the locker swung open she stared at the contents inside. A tin of beans and what appeared to be a bunch of camping supplies in the bottom. She shook her head in irritation and began working on the other lockers.

  
When she had one left, she wiggled the knife and held her breath as it tipped the latch up, releasing the mechanism. Inside, were a myriad of tinned goods and Lena thanked her lucky stars for the person that worked here that obviously hated spending money on lunch every day. She shrugged her backpack off, packed all of the tins into the bag and fastened it, throwing it back over her shoulders. She went back to the first locker, using her boot to kick the camping supplies around. There was a raincoat thrown over everything, she stooped down and pulled it out, her eyes fixing on what was underneath.

  
A small propane canister was nestled at the back of the locker. She grabbed it and set it down on the floor in front of her. Looking around the room she spotted a pair of sneakers under a coat rack. She ran to them, swooped them up and began ripping the laces from them. Sitting on the floor in front of the canister, she took a flare from a pocket on her leg and tied it to the canister with the laces.

  
Running back to the door, she managed to gradually shift the shelves from behind it as quietly as possible and listened closely to the noise from inside the store. The Walkers had moved away from the door but she could still hear them wandering around the rails. She collected the canister and lit the flare, opening the door and throwing it as far into the store as she could. The Walkers immediately began to shuffle towards it and she crept out of the door, withdrawing her pistol. Catching sight of the canister on the floor, she aimed and backed up.

  
Light and heat flashed through the room along with a thunderous bang when she pulled the trigger and she ducked back into the off-white hallway. Foam ceiling tiles rained down on her and she could see the unmistakable red mist of blown up Walkers filtering down in the air. She stood and glanced down at her boots which were covered in blood and sighed to herself. Another clean up job.

  
Upon first inspection, the store appeared to have been wiped out and any Walkers left were missing half of their bodies or legs so didn’t pose much of a threat anyway. She picked through the rubble and finally stepped out onto the street.

 

*****

  
Daryl arrived back at the prison just before sundown and busied himself throwing bags over his shoulders once he’d parked the truck. Sasha had approached him after closing the gate and handed him the last bag from the flatbed.

  
“Surprised you didn’t run into Lena.” She chirped.

  
“What?” He demanded, his shoulders tensing.

  
“She went out this morning with Cleo, said she was bored. Thought you might have seen her.” She said.

  
Daryl’s heart started to race. He knew he was going to have a hard time pinning her down and making her stay inside the fences. She was a free spirit and didn’t much like sitting around with nothing do to. Always aware in the back of his mind that only he and Lena, Carol and Hershel knew about her pregnancy, he tried not to react as panicked as he felt.

  
“She say where she was goin’? She have all her weapons? He asked.

  
“She didn’t say and yes she was fully armed. She’ll probably be back soon. You know Lena, she does what she likes when she likes.” Sasha quipped.

  
Daryl huffed and shook his head but said nothing. Sasha’s eyebrows pinched together.

  
“Is everything OK, Daryl?” She queried.

  
“Yeah. It’s fine” He spat back, quickly turning and heading to the block to try and mask the worry and anger that was simmering under the surface. When he’d dumped the bags in his cell he couldn’t help but pace nervously around the block, running his hands through his hair and sighing over and over again. Feeling like the walls were closing in on him, he charged out to the yard and set about spacing the mules out further along the fences.

 

  
As Cleo trotted up to the prison gate, Lena’s heart sank when she saw Daryl had got back before her. She had wanted to beat him to it and attempt to cover up her little trip until she could sit him down and explain herself.

  
“Shit” She cussed under her breath while she grinned and signaled to Sasha to open the gate. Cleo wandered through and Lena guided her up the hill and through to her yard, feeling an impending sense of doom when she saw Daryl walking across the grass towards them with determination in his step and anger on his face.

  
She dismounted the horse and positioned herself on the side of Cleo that was furthest from Sasha and anyone else that might be around.

  
“What the fuck were ya thinkin’?” Daryl hissed as he approached her and took hold of Cle’s reins. He instantly noticed her coat, boots and bandana were covered in dark red bloodstains and before she could answer him, he reached forward and pushed her hood off and tugged her bandana down, checking her for injuries.

  
“Daryl, I’m fine.” She assured him. “I’m sorry if I worried you. I just had to get out. I’m getting cabin fever in this place and people must be starting to wonder why I never leave anymore. I picked up some useful things. I would have been back earlier but I was kind of…indisposed. But it’s fine. I’m fine.”

  
He shifted on his feet and leaned against Cleo’s warm body slightly. His face not angry anymore, just forlorn and exasperated.

  
“Go inside, I’ll take Cleo.” He mumbled. He didn’t wait for a reply when he turned on his heels and led the horse to her stable. 

 

When she had changed her clothes and placed the tins and Tylenol she had found into a small box to distribute later, she started to sort through the clothes she had found when the main door slammed. Lena braced herself for an onslaught of rage from him but he just stood in the doorway, arms crossed and stared at her. She didn’t know what to say. She had already apologized and explained and had nothing left stored in her mind to try and make things better.

  
“That’s my kid too, y’know.” He said quietly.

  
Guilt flooded through her and she exhaled loudly, moving closer to him and tucking a piece of hair away from his eyes.

  
“I know. I know. I never forget that, I promise.” She whispered.

  
“It’s dangerous out there, Lena.”

  
While it was an obvious statement, she realized in that moment that she had been careless and selfish in her actions. He was right, it was his child too and had something gone wrong, he would have lost the both of them.

  
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have gone. It was wrong of me. I’m sorry.” She pleaded.

  
He nodded solemnly. “Vitamins are in those bags.” He said, pointing to the bundles on the floor.

  
“You got them?!” She gasped, unable to believe his success after what seemed like an eternity of searching.

  
“Yeah, found enough to last a while. Some other stuff Hershel told me to watch out for too.” He explained.

  
“I got some stuff too.” She smiled, backing up to the bed and picking up a pair of super stretchy maternity pants. “Check these baby’s out. Sexy, huh?” She giggled. She was pleased to see his lips quirk into a smile as he watched her through the front of his hair. She loved it when he looked at her like this, his sultry stare that always made her heart flutter. “It’s entirely possible that the two of us could fit in these. Y’know on cold nights. That’s until I get huge and you’ll have to move out because I’ll take miles just to turn around.”

  
He laughed and stepped into the cell, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing the side of her face.

  
“Ya thought about tellin’ anyone else yet?” He asked.

  
“No” She said flatly and a little quicker than she’d intended. “I don’t-I don’t even know how to tell them.”

  
“Alright” he agreed “But we gotta do it sometime. I gotta head out, I got guard duty. I’ll see ya later. Go get some food.” He ordered as he left the cell.

 

*****

 

Lena sat next to Carol in the communal area of the other block. The two women were perched on top of the stairs watching the lighthearted conversation happening below. Beth cradled Judith in her arms while Carl played with the baby’s tiny fingers and made faces at her, causing a musical, addictive giggle to emanate around the room. Carol gently nudged Lena in the side.

  
“Congratulations” She whispered. “We haven’t talked about it, but I wanted you to know I’m very happy for you.

  
Lena glanced to her side and smiled nervously “Thanks.”

  
“If you need anything, just ask. I had one of my own, remember?” She reminded her.

  
Lena did remember. The little girl that got lost and Daryl had spent days in the woods looking for her, which had resulted in him getting shot. She didn’t know any more details, just that Carol was eternally grateful for his efforts.

  
“Sophia.” Lena uttered. “Daryl tried to find her.”

  
“Yes, he was relentless. He did more for my little girl at that time than my husband ever did. Daryl is going to make a wonderful father. I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that he would step up, Lena” She confirmed.

  
“He will make a good daddy.” Lena agreed. “It wasn’t planned. But the idea seems to be sitting better with him these days.”

  
“I thought it might. He was scared, when he told me. But I knew he wanted this baby. It’s so nice to see him like this. With you, happy. He deserves it.”

  
Lena nodded into her bowl of soup and tilted the bowl up, taking a big slurp. The need for etiquette in using a spoon now completely redundant.

  
“When are you going to tell everyone?” Carol asked.

  
“Oh…um. Never?” Lena answered.

  
“You’ll have to do it at some point. When you do, you’ll find you have an army of people that are willing to help with anything. You’ll never be alone. Just look at Judith.” She explained.

  
Lena gently placed her bowl in her lap and sighed.

  
“That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m not a people person, Carol. I’ve somehow managed to form some semblance of a friendship with Sasha, but I have no idea how it happened and there is still a reluctance to get close to people. But you’re right, I will need help. I don’t know what I’m doing. This baby is likely to get thrown down a manhole under my care.”

  
Carol laughed and looped an arm over Lena’s shoulders. “You’re going to feel like that at least until your child is 18, possibly beyond that. So, get used to it and accept the help.” She chuckled.

  
“Oh, great.” Lena huffed, rolling her eyes.  


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters up in two days! Enjoy! Let me know what you think! Thanks for all comments and kudos so far!

Hershel sat opposite her on a chair and took her blood pressure. He had asked what felt like hundreds of questions and given her strict instructions to take her vitamins, drink and eat plenty and make sure she got enough rest. Lena had agreed dutifully and complained only of her morning sickness, which now seemed to be lasting all day.

“They should just call it ‘sickness’, or ‘all damn day sickness’.” She groaned.

Hershel chuckled and removed the inflatable cuff from her arm. “It’ll pass, my dear. Your blood pressure is fine, so is everything else. Now, I was thinking about the timing of all this…” he mused “In regards to working out a due date. I suspect you are either 7 or 8 weeks along, but I can’t be sure. I know Merle shot you around that time, so I’m assuming this baby was conceived just after that.”

Lena bit her lip and tried to shove away a sting of embarrassment. Her mind flashed back to the first time they were together after she was shot, the first time they’d had sex with actual feeling. That rough, passionate tryst might well have been the reason they were expecting a child. She glanced down at Hershel, who was sat peering up at her expectantly.

“Yeah. Daryl and I… our relationship got pretty serious after that.” She confessed, feeling slightly like she were telling too much personal information to her father.

“Ah…” nodded Hershel “then I believe whenever that was, was the conception date.”

“I have a diary. I could probably work out a date, give or take a few days.” She told him.

“It might help determine your due date so we can be fully prepared” he smiled.

Lena thought it was ironic that she had asked him to insert her implant to protect her against any unwanted outcomes and remain in control of her own body. Then, she had used Daryl to try and quell her emotional numbness, fallen for him in the process and it had resulted in her being pregnant with his child.

“So much for being prepared, huh?” She sighed.

He gave her a sympathetic look as he stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Sometimes god has other plans.” He said.

She watched as he began gathering his equipment and putting it into a large leather bag.

“Hershel. I have questions” she blurted out.

“OK. Ask away” he replied, waving a hand in the air and smiling beneath his white beard. The questions she needed to ask were not easy and she found herself gripping the edge of the mattress.

“What is the probability of-of me dying during childbirth?” She stammered.

She saw the air leave his lungs but he managed to keep a professional yet kind look on his weathered face.

“Even in a non-apocalyptic situation, there is always a risk. I won’t lie to you, honey, I have never delivered a human baby before. Lots of cows, sheep and horses. But, the basic principles are the same and I promise you I will do all the reading I need to get up to scratch.” He assured her.

“Carl and Judith’s mother died. I don’t want to die, Hershel. I want to see Daryl hold his baby for the first time.” She said seriously.

“I wasn’t there for that. I was indisposed.” He smiled. “I don’t know if I could have saved her, but I do know I will do everything I can to make sure this goes as smoothly as possible for you. As long as there are no complications, you’re going to be just fine. The human body is an amazing thing, it can withstand a lot and it recovers quickly.”

She nodded rapidly “OK.” She said “OK”.

 

*****

 

In the block, Lena found Daryl on the floor in the middle surrounded by crib parts and tools, a baffled look on his face. He glanced up at her as she wandered in and smiled at her with a hint of shyness. He hadn’t wanted her to see what he’d been doing, hoping that he’d be able to get it finished for when she returned from her checkup with Hershel. Seeing him sat in the middle of parts that made a baby’s crib was an entirely new scene altogether for her. She felt awash with adoration for him and his determination to see this through and try. She settled down opposite him and without saying a word, picked up one side of the crib and began examining the fixtures at the ends.

“I got this” Daryl told her.

“Oh, I know that.” She responded, not bothering to look at him. “I just want to help. Pass me that screwdriver”

Daryl raised an eyebrow at her and slowly handed her a flathead screwdriver from beside him. She stifled a laugh and raised her eyes to him as she lined up the end of the crib with the side bars.

“C’mon, it isn’t going to make itself. Hold this side for me.” She told him as she began fastening the two panels together.

After half an hour and some mild cussing about some missing screws, the crib was finally made and they both pushed it into the cell that contained all the other baby supplies. They both stared down at it in it’s position in the corner of the dark concrete room.

“It needs some-” Lena started.

“Paint” Said Daryl.

“Yeah”

“I’ll go get some tomorrow. I know we got like seven months but to hell with it, let’s get it done”

She giggled, her laugh fading when she remembered what Hershel had told her about the conception.

“About that…” She said with some unease “Remember that first time we had sex, well, the first time it meant something? It was in the cell and it was kinda rough and it was really, really awesome.” She smiled bashfully.

“Pretty hard to forget that.” He confessed.

“Well, I think the timing checks out” she mumbled, looking at the floor.

“Oh” He replied. “So, we uh, we made a baby that day?”

“I think so” She nodded. “We should be able to work out a due date from that.”

Daryl locked eyes with her for a moment before seizing her waist and kissing her gently, his fingers fanning out over the side of her face and her jaw. She smiled into their kiss and let him break away when he was ready. When he finally did, she grinned and bit her bottom lip.

“What was that for?” She uttered

“I gotta have a reason?” He asked

She laughed quietly and shook her head “No. Never.”

“Alright, I gotta head up to the tower, told Rick I’d cover for a couple hours. Should think about tellin’ the others, Lena.”

She groaned loudly in disproval. “Not this again.”

“Ya gonna start showin’ at some point, then they’re gonna start askin’ questions. Look, if ya don’t wanna tell ‘em, I can do it.”

She gave him a confused look. “You’d do that?” she questioned. Daryl was not the sort of person to make any announcements in front of the group, he usually always stayed on the sidelines and chipped in with the odd sentence but that was the extend of his communication except one on one.

“Ya know I’ll do anything for you.” He said simply.

She took his hand in hers and kissed the back of it. “God, I love you” She breathed, the words quiet enough for Daryl to almost have missed them, but he didn’t. “Just let me sit with the idea for a couple more days, and then we’ll talk about it.” She suggested.

“Alright” He nodded “I’ll see ya later” He kissed her forehead softly and made for the door.

 

*****

 

She felt the sheets move and the mattress dip as Daryl climbed into bed next to her in the night. He had been in the tower for longer than expected and she had taken herself off to bed after eating with everyone else and trying to ignore Carol’s knowing looks from across the room.

She opened her eyes to see the moonlight illuminating the middle of the block through the ceiling, Daryl was silhouetted against the light as he looked down at her while she blinked sleep from her eyes. She could see his hair hanging in front of his face and reached up to lace her fingers into it, bringing him to her in the process. His lips met hers and she felt him lower himself down onto her gradually as his kiss became more urgent. Her skin ignited as he smoothed a palm along the side of her body, over her breast, down her waist, over her shorts and to her thigh, he curled his fingers under it and encouraged her to bend her leg, moving her body closer to his. His lips moved from hers to her neck and down to her collar bone and she pushed her hands down and then up over the bare skin of his chest. A whimper escaped her lips when his hand worked it’s way from the outside of her thigh to the inside and up, between her legs.

Her mind was racing, this was the first time he’d touched her like this since they’d faced their news and she couldn’t help but notice that he was a little apprehensive, his fingers hesitant and his touch lighter than usual. She decided to take the lead, plunging a hand into the front of his boxers and taking hold of him, he jolted from surprise but soon settled with the sensation of her warm hand moving up and down his hardening length. Hearing him growl in her ear encouraged her to bring his face back to hers, biting his lip lightly and arching her back when he tugged her shorts down.

He was pulsing in her hand, her thumb gently grazing over the glistening tip and making him shudder. He moved further over her, his fingers penetrating her and resulting in a sharp intake of breath and nails dug into his bicep.

While everything felt amazing and she wanted him more than ever, she could tell he was still holding back and she was beginning to feel like she was forcing him to continue.

“Are you OK?” She asked breathlessly.

He pulled back from her and braced himself on one arm, looking down at her. In the dim light he was grateful she couldn’t see his face properly, using the darkness to hide his awkwardness.

“I can’t do this, I’m sorry.” He admitted.

Disappointment and worry consumed her and she found herself on the verge of panic.

“Why? What’s wrong?” She asked, scooting up on the bed, her hands leaving his body.

“I dunno. I just…I can’t.” He told her, sitting up and perching on the side of the bed.

“Did I do something wrong?” She questioned.

“No” He answered without hesitation

“Are you sure?” She continued “Is it because I’m pregnant? You don’t find me attractive anymore?”

When the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back straight away. She closed her eyes, screwed her face up and cursed herself for sounding so unconfident and desperate, so pleading and out of character. She was never one to seek such affirmation like this except with Caleb and in that moment, it was all too familiar and something she’d rather forget forever.

“What?! No!” He exclaimed in disbelief “What the fuck, Lena?!”

“I’m sorry, forget I asked that, please.” She mumbled, drawing the covers up around her shoulders and trying to create some kind of protective barrier, as if it would save her from the embarrassment of her impulsive comment.

“Lena-” He tried

“Forget it” She interrupted “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

She shuffled off the bed and began pulling on her pants and a ripped black sweater. He watched her from the bed.

“Where ya goin?” He said, exasperated.

“Anywhere, somewhere. Not here. I need to leave. Now.” She replied, grabbing her coat and stepping into her boots. When she went to leave the cell, she paused by the table and snatched up the baby name book, shoving it in her coat and leaving swiftly.

Daryl lowered his head and sighed loudly.

“C’mon man, get your shit together.” He muttered to himself.

 

*****

 

In the stable with Cleo, Lena scribbled names down in her notebook while the Horse snoozed quietly in the corner. It was late and she couldn’t stop replaying what had happened with Daryl over and over in her mind. To make things worse, she was now feeling nauseous. She had wrapped up warm and settled beside a hay bale at the side of the stable.

Her eyes scanned over the names on the pages and she pondered over a couple of them, reciting them over and over in her mind, sometimes saying them aloud, as if hearing them would make her like them more. She flipped through the pages, realizing she was pretty much re-writing the entire book in her notebook. She definitely liked more names than she disliked.

The door creaked and she looked up to see Daryl wander into the stable. Cleo’s head reared up and she grunted loudly.

“Cleo, it’s fine, honey.” Lena cooed. Cleo settled back down and snorted into the hay, dust flew up into the air around her.

Daryl had dressed but hadn’t bothered to button up the front of his shirt all the way, his vest was slung over his shoulders and he looked disheveled and tired. In his hand, he carried a blanket.

“Knew I’d find ya in here” He grumbled, wandering further into the stable and sitting down next to her, resting his back on the hay bale. He opened up the blanket and spread it over both of their legs and Lena was touched by the thoughtful gesture. “We gotta talk” He sighed.

“No, we don’t. Really. It’s fine.” She chirped, sounding false and dismissive.

He fell silent and nibbled on his thumb, obviously deep in thought.

“It aint you.” He eventually said.

“I’m sorry I asked what I did. I guess I had a temporary lapse of judgement. Moment of weakness.” She babbled, scribbling another name down in her book.

He lifted a hand and snatched her pencil from her fingers. She glanced up at him in surprise.

“Listen.” He ordered. “I told ya a couple times now that I think ya beautiful. Takes a lot for me to say that, it’s not somethin’ I’ve ever said to anybody before. It aint ever gonna change. You’re always gonna be the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life. Think ya real sexy, still can’t believe how lucky I am and even when ya on the 8th month, I’m still gonna think that. So, I promise, it aint you. You’re perfect to me.”

She just blinked at him, irritated with herself for feeling emotional at his declaration. She stuffed it into the back of her mind and put it down to hormones. She was going to be using that as an excuse a lot going forward.

“It means everything to me that you think that.” She told him. “You know I love you, you’re prefect to me too.”

He nodded subtly “I just freaked out. You’re pregnant, I don’t wanna do somethin’ bad. Hurt ya or some shit like that, I dunno.”

She plucked her pencil from his hand and placed it between the pages of the baby name book before taking his hand and squeezing it.

“I can’t get any more pregnant than I already am.” She grinned “As for hurting me, nothing much has changed yet. You won’t hurt me. The baby is a kidney bean with a heartbeat at this point. I doubt it cares if we want a little action.”

“Raspberry.” He corrected.

“What?” She said.

“It’s as big as a raspberry at 8 weeks.” He informed her.

Her eyebrows shot up and she gasped “How the hell do you know that?!” she demanded.

“Carol told me” He admitted.

“Oh” Lena replied, unable to hide how impressed she was that he knew, regardless of how he’d found out.

“Been lookin’ at names?” He queried.

“Yeah, I seem to like way more than is useful. It’s like I’m just copying the book at this point.” She complained.

“Wanna run some by me?” He asked, shifting in his spot and draping an arm across her shoulders.

“Alright…So for a boy, I have Noah?”

“No”

“Mason?”

“No”

“Um, Ethan?”

“Nope.”

“Emmanuel”

“Hell Naw! That’s a porno!”

“Oh yeah, so it is. 1970’s, right?”

“Yup ‘74”

“Hmm…Aaron”

“Nah”

“Daryl…c’mon!”

“I don’t like ‘em. Sorry.”

“We’ll we’re not calling it Lil’ Asskicker!”

“What ya talkin’ about? Can’t call it that anyways, that’s Lil’ Asskickers name.”

“Her name is Judith.” She said seriously.

‘Not to me it aint.” He shrugged.

Lena fought with all her might not to laugh at him and failed, giggled erupting from deep in her stomach and he was soon mirroring her. She loved seeing him smile. It was a rare occurrence to see him do it without hiding it or without it fading to nothing within seconds.

“What about Theodore?” She suggested.

He thought for a moment, letting the name sink in and considering it’s shortened version to be less offensive than the others she’d mentioned. “That aint so bad”

“Or Dylan? Dylan Merle Dixon?” She offered.

For some reason, he hadn’t realized that the baby would possibly be a Dixon. As laws didn’t exist anymore, he had assumed that Lena would want to pass on her family name. Hearing her say his name instead was both bizarre and a shock to him.

“Ya sure ya want it to have my last name?”

“Yes. That’s non-negotiable.” She said bluntly.

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re the baby’s father and you need to carry on the Dixon line and change it for the better.” she said casually. 

Before he could answer her, she began reeling off girl’s names. It really was non-negotiable.

“Olivia, Ameila, Daisy, Alice?”

“Uh, no, no, no and no.”

Lena tilted her head up as if she were speaking to the ceiling “Give me strength” she cried before looking back down at the page and crossing out the first four names on her list.

“Isabella?”

“Isabella Dixon.” He said. “Yeah, that’s OK.”

“So, we have Dylan and Isabella so far. I’d say that’s progress.” She announced, slamming the book shut and turning to kiss his cheek quickly.

 

*****

 

When Daryl had left the prison the next day in search of paint, people had asked all sorts of questions as to why he wanted it and Lena had to chime in and call out that she was bored and wanted to decorate and should anyone require her interior design services, they should form an orderly queue. It seems to quell the interest somewhat and Daryl and held up a hand in a wave to her as he drove out of the gate and along the dusty lane outside.

Carol and Lena worked the fences, picking off the odd Walker here and there and making small talk as they went along. Carol had offered some small grains of advice and still insisted on her telling everyone else, much like Daryl had done and Lena was just about sick of hearing it.

She distanced herself and moved further along the fence. Stabbing her swords into the eyes and skulls of the corpses that decorated the fence, all trying to get in and satisfy their need to feast on her flesh. She thought of the grotesque world they lived in, the kind of world she was going to bring her baby into, the post-apocalyptic environment where they feared the living more than the dead. But did that ever really change? The living were always an issue. Lena hadn’t met many people that she considered to be decent anyway and that was before the turn. But there certainly was nothing like a global disaster to reveal the true extent and depravity of the human condition.

A large male Walker hit the deck, Lena yanked her sword from his eye socket and moved onto the next one, only to find she had come to the end of this particular queue of corpses. A lone female wandered out of the trees and locked her in her sights as she pushed through the long grass. Lena paid little attention to her at first, before her eyes lowered and she noticed a slight bump under her pretty, pink, floral dress. Her denim jacket swayed around her waist and was far too big for her, obviously stolen from someone else, given to her or picked up along the way. Her long blonde hair hung in knotted strands and her eyes were glassy and white. Other than that, Lena couldn’t see any major signs of decay and surmised that she hadn’t actually been dead that long.

“Hey hot stuff” Lena hummed, linking her fingers through the fence. “C’mon, a little closer. Let me take a look at you.”

The Walker hit the fence and Lena backed up, threading a sword through and moving her jacket to one side.

“You were, weren’t you? You were pregnant.” She uttered, pulling her sword back and taking a deep breath. The sight pulled at her heartstrings, they had to have been around the same age. This girl not being lucky enough to have found solace inside prison fences with a rare group of decent people. She looked to have been at least 6 months along by the time she had turned. Her jaws opened and closed frantically when Lena stepped closer and observed her skin, pale but still not quite as decomposed as some of the other Walkers she’d seen.

She held a finger up and beckoned the Walker to her.

“That’s it, sweetheart, as close as you can. You wanna help me out? I’ll make sure your baby didn’t die for nothing.” She soothed.

Her sword cut through the Walkers skull like a knife through butter, taking an eye out with it when she withdrew it from the socket. The corpse thudded to the floor and Lena looked around for Carol who was already on her way over from the other side, having thinned out the ranks crowding the fence at the other side considerably.  

“You all done?” She called out.

“Um, not exactly” Lena replied “I need your help with something.”

“Sure, what is it?” She asked, dusting down her clothes and slipping her knife back into her belt. Lena took a deep breath and tried to figure out a way of communicating her plan with sending Carol running across the yard screaming to Rick that she was a psychopath.

“Just-just hear me out before you make a decision. Please?” She pleaded.

“OK, I will. Go ahead.” She encouraged.

“Hershel says that he’s never delivered a human baby before. I need to know that when the time comes and there are complications or if I need a C-section, that he at least knows the basics. That Walker…” She pointed at the crumpled dead woman on the grass. “…She was pregnant when she died. She’s not as decomposed as the others so I think she died recently. I want to bring her inside the fence so Hershel can use her for, uh, for practice.”

Carol waited for Lena’s words to sink in before she even thought of replying. Her plan did seem a little macabre but she understood her reasoning and figured it might not be a bad idea at all. That’s if Hershel was to even agree.

“We can’t bring her in now.” Carol told her “It’s broad daylight, the others will see. We’ll have to leave her until later when everyone goes inside and I’ll go get her.”

“Not alone” Lena demanded “I’ll go with you.”

“I’m only going to help you if you stay inside the fences, Lena.” She said Sternly. “What kind of friend would I be to Daryl if I let his pregnant girlfriend go collecting Walkers outside? No, I’m sorry. You’ll have to wait for me to go and get her tonight.”

She held her breath for a second, irritated by the fact that no one would let her do anything anymore, but she soon released it when it occurred to her what a feat it would be for Carol to do this for her. The almost brutality and emotional side of it wasn’t going to be easy for her to stomach.

“Deal. Thank you.” She said. Unexpectedly, Carol pulled her into a tight embrace, rubbing her back. Lena took a couple of seconds to process what had happened and eventually lifted her arms and returned the hug.

 

*****

 

When Daryl returned, Lena and Carol were sat in the middle of their block eating tinned pasta at the metal table. In the far corner on a wooden cart, lay the body of the pregnant Walker from the other side of the fence, covered with a sheet. Carol looked up and smiled when she saw him enter the room.

Daryl carried a heavy box and dropped it by the entrance to the cell that contained all the other baby supplies. “Got paint.” He announced.

Lena sprang up from her seat and eagerly flung the lid of the box off.

“Woah!” She cried.

“Yeah, we kinda didn’t decide what color, so I got a few.” He shrugged. “We don’t know if it’s aboy or a girl either so I got blue and pink and some other shit, like yellow, green and gray and ton of white.”

Out of curiosity, Carol gradually stood up and peered over the edge of the table to see the contents of the box. She could see at least 6 large tins coupled with various smaller ones and some brushes.

“Just like taking a trip to Home Depot, huh?” Carol quipped.

“Yeah, if you count sneakin’ around a 30 strong group of the undead. Ran outta fuckin’ bolts too.”

“I have bolts!” Lena exclaimed, running off into their cell and returning with a backpack full of handmade crossbow bolts that she had sat and carved out of pure boredom herself.  Daryl didn’t even know she could carve bolts. “I watched you do it so many times so I decided to try myself. Turns out I’m pretty good at it.” She dropped the bag onto the table and Daryl stared at it.

“Um, thanks” He managed before glancing around the room. He spotted the sheet covered cart in the corner and Lena braced herself and exchanged a worried glance with Carol.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“It’s a Walker.” Carol told him, his head snapped to the side and he gave her a dumbfounded look.

“What’s it doing in here?” He questioned.

“We were about to take her down to the infirmary for Hershel. She was pregnant when she turned, looks around 6 months. She hasn’t been dead long by the look of her. I put her down and Carol dragged her through the gate for me. She’s going to be Hershel’s practice for when our baby shows up.” Lena explained.

“Oh” He said. “What do you make of this?” He asked Carol.

“As much as I think it’s a little gruesome, Lena does have a point. Hershel has never delivered a human baby before. If she needs a C-section, it will really help if he’s had the chance to practice first.” She confirmed.

Daryl looked from Lena to Carol and then to the sheet in the corner. “OK, If ya think this is the right thing to do then I’ll take her to the infirmary now. Try and be sly about it so nobody sees.”

“Could you tell Hershel that her and her baby, they helped someone after their deaths, so they should be buried. Properly.” Lena requested.

“Yeah, sure.” He agreed.

“I’ll go with you” Carol said, moving over to the cart in the corner.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of this one! I'm aware this story was maybe a bit obscure and halfway through seemed to veer off into a different direction, but I did intend for it to do that. I wanted it to be surprising and I enjoyed writing something that had a rapid change of tone at one point. This has been an angsty Fic, so i've finished it up with some relief from that. I hope people like it.   
> Thanks to everyone that has read it, left comments and kudos and bookmarked. It means the absolute world to me. I only share this stuff in the hope that maybe it'll make one or two people happy because they've enjoyed it, so to get feedback at the end of each chapter and from multiple people has been amazing. Much love to you all <3

Hershel was very reluctant to perform surgery on the dead girl and no one was about to blame him for that. The whole thing was horrendous and because of that, they all decided to keep it to themselves. He had finally agreed after some pleading from Daryl and the procedure had gone well.

After Lena had turned up in the infirmary demanding to know if he had learned anything, he had made her promise to wear a mask as he showed her exactly what the procedure would entail. He had to admit, he had learned a great deal and now feel even more confident that everything would work out just fine.  

Her stomach had held up mainly due to her determination to quell her anxieties about the birth. So, when Hershel had shown her what he had learned, organ by organ coated in coagulated blood, she focused solely on the science and on the biology, not on the deceased in front of her.

At night, Daryl buried the bodies of the walker and her baby outside the fence and fashioned two small crosses from branches. Lena had made two tags from the leather of some boots and some shoe laces and engraved the words ‘thank you’ into the surface. One tag dangled from each cross. The graves were positioned further into the woods and were well disguised to stop anyone else from the prison from noticing. Daryl had tried to encourage her to tell the group on more than one occasion, only to either be ignored or given a warning look to back off.

As the weeks passed, the relationship between Lena and Daryl had blossomed and was only threatened by the impending sense of doom she felt about coming clean to everyone else. That, and Daryl’s nervousness in their intimate moments. She had tried countless times to put his mind at ease, almost losing her temper until one day when she had caught him reading a pregnancy book in Cleos stable in the middle of the night. He had shoved it under the horse and Lena had pretended not to notice, withholding the urge to run to him and fling her arms around him while rambling about how thoughtful and amazing he was. Instead, she chose to leave him to it in the hope that whatever was in the book would tell him that she would not shatter into a million pieces if he wanted to have sex with her.

Daryl saw the rest of the group as his friends, his family. Or, at least the closest thing he’s ever had to it. But Lena saw them as another bunch of people she was apprehensive to get too close to. The last time she had allowed herself to get attached to people, they ended up butchered and she was forced to live with the trauma of watching it happen. While she was sure the group were more than capable of looking after themselves, she didn’t trust herself to be able to handle any more emotional trauma.

Her hormones were staring to go awry and she had tried to sit Daryl down and explain to him that she felt useless and fragile. He’d claimed to understand, but nothing had changed and he still would not let her leave the prison’s fences. She just wanted to go on a run, to chop some Walker heads off or at least attempt to secure some more mules. Her hands itched to use her blades and her body pleaded for a chance to feel some adrenaline which resulted in her working the fence at least two times a week.

She picked through clothes in their cell, tossing item after item over her shoulder and cursing under her breath. Nothing seemed good enough, a little too tight here or a little too short there. Daryl wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed his hands on her stomach.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“Stuff is starting to not fit.” She complained.

“Yeah…this is new” he pointed out as he gently smoothed his hand up and down over her skin. She now had a slight bump and Daryl couldn’t tear his hands away after noticing it the night before. He had slept with his fingers splayed out over her abdomen. It both fascinated and scared him but he found himself drawn to it.

“I’m starting to show.” She mused, looking down at his hands over her growing bump. He nestled his chin down on her shoulder and she leaned her head closer to him, sliding her hands over his.

“I was thinking of asking Hershel if he’s able to tell us if it’s a boy or a girl. Would you want to know?”

“Naw. I wanna wait. You should find out if ya want to know. Just don’t tell me.” She told her.

She was surprised by his certain and straightforward answer, as if he’d already considered it and decided before. Carol’s doing, no doubt.

“That’s a big secret to keep. I’ll think about it.” She sighed.

He continued to stroke over her stomach, pushing his face into her hair and neck. Two two of them stayed there for a while, listening to each other’s breathing and swaying back and forth.

 As he enjoyed the feeling of Lena encased in his embrace, he thought back to how far they’d come. To the moment when they first met and she’d glowered at him over her bandana and threatened to shoot him, he’d thought she was some kind of psycho dark knight with her macabre weapons and well-spoken voice. Then, he remembered their first tryst in the control room and the second in her cell, how her skin felt under his and how he’d fought to control his release as he’d opened his eyes and seen the sweat covered, entrancing creature in his grasp. How he’d tried so hard not to make it an emotional thing but failed when he noticed her beautiful features as he watched her tend to Cleo from the tower one night. How he’d connected with her, united in their trauma in the clearing in the woods. How he had willed her to kiss him every single time she brought her lips close to his and how he had completely fallen for her once she finally did. She had made him laugh with stories of her past, made him furrow his brow in disbelief at revelations of who she used to be, and amazed him with her fighting prowess and seemingly fearless demeanor. She had changed him, brought things out in him that he never knew were there and his life, even in the decaying world, was now better because of her.

“I love you, Lena” he uttered.

Her eyes flicked up to the wall opposite them and she froze. It was the first time he had ever said it and she instantly felt tears build up behind her eyes. She held then back and smiled, drawing his arms further around her.

“I love you too.” She whispered.

“M’sorry it’s taken me so long to say it.”

“Don’t. I knew it without you having to say it.” She told him. “It shows in everything you do.”

His face was still buried in her neck and hair and his voice was quiet as he spoke.

“Because ya beautiful” he hummed, kissing her neck “Smart” another kiss, slow and sensual “Funny” a light lick of the skin of her collar bone. “Strong”. He nudged her shoulder strap down with his fingertip and left tender, light kisses over her shoulder. She closed her eyes and tilted her head towards him. “Ya always in my head. All the damn time.” She heard him say between breaths.

 

*****

 

That evening Rick had called a meeting of everyone in the group. The newcomers from Woodbury were generally not invited to weekly meetings, the only exception being if Rick thought it necessary to leave the prison on a basic guard detail which he very rarely did. Lena had pulled on an oversized sweater with a university Logo on it that she had found in the clothes storage and some leggings with her boots. She tied her hair and dreads up into a messy bun but still remembered to equip her the knives on her arms and legs as she always did when she left the cellblock. Daryl sat next to her at the top of the stairs, both of them listening intently to Rick inform the group about schedule changes to the guard tower duty and how they are going to start rotating chores so that everyone learns how to do everything.

Lena felt slight pressure on her shoulder and looked to the side to see Daryl leaning into her.

“Should tell em, Lena. Gonna be a time when ya do can’t do no heavy liftin’ or close combat stuff anymore.” He suggested quietly.

She didn’t respond, her eyes flickering over his face for a moment before she turned her attention back to the group. She hated to be reminded of the fast approaching months where she would have to do more menial and less physical tasks and think more about the tiny life inside her instead of her own.

When Rick asked the group if anyone had any preferences about things they would like to do on a more regular basis, a few people spoke up and Lena started to get itchy feet. She fidgeted in her spot and turned her body closer towards the group and away from Daryl, who knew exactly what was going on before she could even say anything.

“Don’t even think about it.” He growled.  She looked over her shoulder at him.

“What?” She said.

“Ya aint takin my kid out on runs, Lena.” He told her.

“Our kid, Daryl.” She corrected.  She exhaled through her nose and turned back to the group.

“I’d like to work the fences” She called out, raising a hand slightly. “I mean, I know I do anyway, but on a more regular basis. Maybe three or four times a week?” She asked.

Her question earned her multiple confused looks and Rick’s face was by far the most baffled. “Uh, OK. Yes, I thought you did anyway. But that’s fine, Lena.” He confirmed.

“Also” She continued “Sasha and Tyreese have spent a lot of time in the past looking after Cleo. Maybe it’d be a good idea if we rotated that? Let somebody else try?”

Carols hand shot up “I’ll do it! I’d like to learn.” She chirped. Lena smiled at her across the room and felt a wave of relief that she would at least be able to spent a large chunk of her time with Carol and Cleo, which would help to stave off her cravings to go outside and chop walkers up into tiny pieces.

Rick nodded and moved on to the next few tasks that needed new workers.

Lena and Daryl continued to listen and he noticed her position shift back around and her anxiety subside.

He knew he was about to take a chance and run the risk of a massive showdown between the pair of them. But he couldn’t drag it out any longer. He stood up on the stairs.

“Rick, can I say somethin’? To everyone?” He said, his voice shaking slightly at the sudden public and loud tone he had taken. He hadn’t expected to feel so exposed, but attempted to withhold his apprehension and surge forwards with his determination to get everything out in the open.

Lena’s head shot up and she gawped at him with wide eyes. Her hand clawing at his pants leg.

“No, Daryl. Please” She whispered.

“It’s gonna be OK.” He hushed back before looking at Rick.

“Sure. Go ahead.” Rick offered, his hand skimming out and motioning to everyone. The entire group looked completely bemused at the situation and a lot of them were exchanging amused glances. Rick took a step back and let Daryl have the floor. He turned to Lena and held out his hand, a pleading look flashing across his face. She grumbled under her breath and slapped her hand in his, allowing him to help her up from the step and the two of them thudded down to the ground and to the room of waiting faces. They stopped at the foot of the makeshift table and Lena’s grip on his hand tightened.

“OK, um…” Daryl started, the words were so simple and yet they didn’t seem to want to emerge. He caught sight of Carol, who was suppressing a large grin and was side eyeing Hershel, who was smiling yet still remained professional.

Lena was frantically nibbling on the corner of her bottom lip and digging her nails into Daryl’s hand. _You wanted to do this, just fucking tell them._ She screamed in her mind. When he lifted her hand to his face and lightly kissed her fingers in front of everyone, she had to fight with everything she had not to let her jaw drop to the floor in shock.

 “Lena’s pregnant.” He finally said.

Her head lowered and she stared at the floor, hearing people gasp and squeal in excitement. Daryl looked down at her, seeing how terrified she looked. He gently tugged on her hand. She looked up at him but by the time her eyes reached him, Rick had placed a hand on his shoulder and the two of them were smiling at one another. Rick looked completely bowled over and he gaped at Daryl for a good minute or so before blinking rapidly and mumbling “r-really?!”

Daryl nodded shyly and allowed Rick to pull him into a hug, slapping his leather clad back. Lena let go of his hand.

“Congratulations, man” Rick muttered over Daryl’s shoulder. “This is great news, really.”

Lena was suddenly wrapped up in Sasha’s arms as she sniffed against the side of her head. She slowly raised her arms and put her hands on her shoulder blades. The woman that had become probably the closest thing to a friend that Lena had allowed gripped into her so tight she thought she might break a bone.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She heard Sasha say, her voice wobbling.

“Took some time to get used to the idea. We were freaked out at first. It wasn’t planned.” Lena said. When Sasha pulled back, she had tears in her eyes and Lena was struck by the emotion the news seemed to have stirred in everyone. Maggie was next in line and waiting for a hug along with Beth and Carl, while Glenn gave Daryl another manly embrace and back slap. Lena could hear jubilant laughter between the men and she caught a glimpse of Daryl’s flushed pink face and red ears. He was shy about having to talk about something so intimate, especially in such a social setting, but the thing that struck her most, was how happy he looked.

When everyone had filtered though and Lena had received far too much physical contact than she was comfortable with, the room was buzzing and she and Daryl were faced with a barrage of questions. Carol and Hershel sat in a quiet confidence and chatted among themselves.

“How far along are you?” Maggie wanted to know.

Lena looked at Hershel. “We think twelve weeks now. I have a scan tomorrow” Hershel nodded at her answer.

“Ooh! Please can see the picture?!” Maggie beamed.

Daryl rummaged around in his pocket. “I got the 8 week one right here.” He said, pulling the picture out and flicking it onto the table in front of Maggie. Her eyes lit up as she slid the image closer. She examined the photo and Sasha darted up from her seat to stand behind and catch a glimpse. While everyone cooed over the scan image, Lena side eyed Daryl.

“You planned this” She hissed.

“I had to, or we’d be tellin’ em on the kid’s tenth birthday.” He quipped, smiling at her.

“Are you going to find out if it’s a boy or girl?!” Beth chirped from the back of the table.

“Daryl doesn’t want to know until the baby’s born. I’m not sure if I do yet. I guess I’ll decide tomorrow.” Lena replied.

“Judith is going to have a friend.” Carl pointed out. Rick stepped behind him and squeezed his shoulders.

“She sure will” he agreed.

Lena had tried so hard to distance herself from these people from the moment she arrived at the prison. Needing to be in the same vicinity but not emotionally connected to any of them. She had found herself an unwilling participant in this most unusual of adoptive families. While she still had her reservations, the reactions of the people around her had made her realize how much they truly needed the news. How they needed hope and positivity, how they needed new life and something pure to hold onto. She saw how they all rallied around Judith, and she hoped that her baby would be as well taken care of and loved as she was. She was beginning to change her mind, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be a real part of the family. Maybe it was the reason she was here and maybe the baby was the thing to hold it all together for her.

Daryl looped an arm over her shoulders and kissed the side of her head, his lips staying connected with her temple even after he had kissed her. She knew he had his eyes closed for those few seconds and she allowed herself to indulge in another very rare display of public affection from him. She had obviously failed to hide the look of surprise on her face as she saw everyone else glance awkwardly at each other in response to the new, seemingly loving Daryl Dixon. Once an angry, unapproachable redneck, he now seemed a million miles away from those times.  

 

*****

 

That night, Rick and Daryl sat in the tower and shared a protein bar. Daryl’s snapped pieces off and silently handed them to his friend, who accepted them without so much as a blink each time. They both sat with their legs dangling from the edge, Daryl with the sniper rifle across his lap and Rick with his Python attached to his hip as usual. The both observed the Walkers beyond the fences as they wandered up to the mules and seemingly changed direction at the last moment, whatever instincts they had left encouraging them to just move on. That something didn’t smell quite right.

“So how do you feel?” Rick finally said “about being a father.”

Daryl scoffed and cast his gaze across the dark treetops, over the spiky, Black horizon. He sighed to himself, his breath leaving his lungs slowly as he thought.

“I dunno. It’s weird.” He replied. “Keep thinking back to when we first saw Lena. Outside the gate. Sat on Cleo like somethin’ outta Zorro.”

Rick huffed with laughter beside him “Yeah, I remember.”

“Now, she’s pregnant with my kid. Couldn’t make this shit up, man.”

“I ain’t gonna lie, I was pretty surprised. Never had you pegged as a ladies man.” Rick commented

“Hell, I aint.” Daryl responded “Just liked her. A lot.” 

“No you didn’t” rick argued, looking confused “you hated her for the first couple weeks. You pushed back against every decision I made about her.”

“Naw, never hated her. She turned up all ‘im’ma shoot ya in the face’, she was too damn big for her britches. Was always real pretty though.” He confessed, a lot easier than he expected.

“Ahhhh, makes sense now.” Rick laughed. “You were the kid in the playground that punched the girls he liked”

“Shut up” Daryl laughed along with Rick.

“I like Lena, she’s great for this group. She’s great for you, too.” Rick told him.

“She still too big for her britches.” Daryl smirked.

Rick attempted not to laugh too hard but found himself catching Daryl’s eye and the two of them chuckled next to each other.

“I’m freaking out. This is crazy.” Daryl confessed, this level of honestly not a frequent occurrence for him.

“I know the feeling. Believe me.” Rick agreed, remembering his own experiences.

The two of them fell silent for a while and Daryl smoked a cigarette. Rick pulled out his knife and a small sharpening stone. He set to work on the edge of the blade, Daryl taking some comfort in the repetitive scraping noise.

“Found this book.” Daryl suddenly says “while I was out lookin’ for baby supplies. S’about pregnancy and stuff. I been readin’ what I can. I mean, I sit there long enough readin’ it and it all gets too weird. Gotta put that shit down after a while.”

Rick continued to laugh quietly next to him as he dragged the knifes blade across the stone. He cast his mind back to before Carl was born, when he’d first found out that his wife was pregnant and found he could totally empathize with Daryl. It was weird. It was scary. But it was also exciting and he had never looked forward to anything more.

“I’m sure Lena would be happy to know that you’re doing your reading” Rick smiled. “Seriously, if you have any questions, just ask. I’ve done it before, after all.”

“She don’t know. And thanks.”

“Judith, she loves her Uncle Daryl. You’re good with her. You’re gonna be fine.” Rick assured him.

Daryl smiled as he looked back to the horizon and he hoped with everything he had that Rick was right.

 

 *****

 

When Lena’s next scan came around the next day, Daryl sat with baited breath in the corner of the cell, his legs nervously bumping up and down as he chewed on his bottom lip. His eyes were cast down to the floor and his hands were clasped together in his lap.

She sat on the bed, a small smile on her face brought about by the sight of Daryl’s nervous display. Hershel had been in and out preparing and having to answer questions from his volunteers who were looking after other patients. While she waited, she desperately tried to come to a decision about finding out if the baby was a boy or a girl. If she did find out, she would have to keep it a secret and ran the risk of a careless word here or there ruining the surprise for Daryl. If she didn’t find out, she wondered if she could go another 6 months without knowing.

“You’re nervous.” She uttered, leaning forwards and gripping the edge of the bed with her fingers. Her dreads fell over her shoulders and Daryl glanced up at her. She wore a black, sleeveless top and her lightly freckled shoulders caught his attention along with her emerald eyes.

“I aint nervous” He replied.

“Then what’s with the vibrating leg dance you’ve got going on there?” She giggled.

He stopped moving straight away and attempted to withhold a wide smile, dropping his head and flicking his eyes up to her again through his hair.

“I’m excited” He admitted shyly.

“You are?” She squeaked in surprise. “This kid has made you soft, Dixon.”

He watched her as she chuckled at him, getting to his feet and rolling his eyes.

“I aint fuckin’ soft.” He grumbled.

Hershel stepped into the cell and drew the drapes across the bars behind him. He offered them both a warm smile and Lena lay back on the bed without having to be asked. Daryl was now nibbling anxiously on his thumb.

“Now, I’ve done a lot of reading but if you want to know if this baby is a boy or girl, I’m afraid I can’t be a hundred percent sure” Hershel warned.

“I don’t want to know.” Lena suddenly said, sensing Daryl look at her as she smiled at Hershel. It had just come to her out of nowhere, her final decision now completely certain.

“Daryl?” He asked, leaning back and glancing over his shoulder.

“Naw. I don’t wanna know yet either.” He mumbled.

“Alright” Hershel chuckled “A surprise it shall be!”

Daryl resumed his stalking back and forth from one side of the room to the other, stopping only when the unmistakable galloping sound of his baby’s heartbeat filled the cell. Lena saw him freeze and stare at the floor, rubbing his chin with his hand, over and over again. She smiled at the sight, knowing he was completely overwhelmed.

She lifted a hand and pressed it to her throat, feeling her own heartbeat which seemed considerably slower compared to the baby’s.

“Is it supposed to be that fast?” She asked.

“Oh yes. That’s normal. The baby’s heartbeat should be between 120 and 160 at this point. It’s just perfect.” Hershel pointed out. Lena nodded, satisfied that there was nothing for her to be worried about.

“Daryl” She whispered. He quickly looked up at her as if she’d startled him out of a daydream. The truth was, she had. He had been so consumed by the sound, he wished there were some way to record it, so he could listen to it whenever he wanted, whenever he needed a reality check, whenever he got angry, whenever he needed a reminder of how lucky he now felt.

Lena held out her hand to him and he stepped towards her and took it, squeezing it so tight it felt a little uncomfortable to her. She chose to say nothing, instead to motioning to the screen with her eyes.

“Look.” She instructed.

His eyes glanced at the screen and his mind completely stilled. It looked like a baby now. The little life inside the woman he loved had grown considerably. He could see limbs, even toes and facial features. In the baby’s chest, he could make out the heartbeat that moved perfectly in time with the glorious noise that was emanating throughout the room.

“Oh my god” He muttered under his breath.

“While some folks say this is purely biology, I like to think god does have a small part to play in this.” Hershel chimed in, earning him a laugh from Lena.

Daryl said nothing, he just looked from the screen to Lena and back again, his thumbnail clamped between his teeth and his head lowered. His cheeks were flushed red along with his ears, which had turned a much deeper shade. He was still gripping onto her hand and she could make out a small smile behind his hand.

“Everything looks good to me. The baby is a healthy size, the heartbeat is strong. If you have any issues, or questions you should come and see me. Now, let’s get us a picture printed.”

Hershel rummaged around pressing buttons and sounding confused before finally remembering how to work the machine and plucking the image out of the printer and handing it to Daryl, who gripped it as if it were the holy grail.

Lena sat up, cleaned herself off and swung her legs off the bed, biting her lip as she looked up at Daryl. He was still staring at the picture.

“Are you happy?” She asked quietly. He slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him, kissing her forehead.

“You got no idea.” He whispered.

 

 

6 Months Later

Lena passed Carol a half empty water bottle as she leaned back against the cold, metal step behind her. The two women had grown closer over the past few months due to Carols spending time learning how to tend to Cleo. If she was honest, Lena had enjoyed every cozy stable chat and every riding lesson and had grown quite fond of Carol, she could see why she and Daryl were so close.

Carol sat by her side as the rest of the group bickered and fought between each other below. They sat away from the drama, opting to steer clear of any unnecessary stress.

A virus that had been detected by Hershel some months before, had now swept through the prison and infected enough people for the Death Row block to be sealed off and quarantined. Rick was under pressure to decide what to do about the matter as it seemed to grow worse by the day. A room had been set up especially for Lena when she went into labor and Daryl had insisted it be as far away from the infirmary at Death Row as possible.

“Have you had any more pains?” Carol quietly asked between sips from the water bottle. Careful not to draw the attention of the others.

“Yeah, quite a lot actually.” Lena sighed.

_Daryl had shot across the room when he had seen her double of in pain one day in their block. She was sure she had never seen him move so fast but despite his speed, he had remained reasonably calm and had ran off to get Hershel. After pouring over books and examining her, the doctor had concluded that she was suffering from Braxton Hicks contractions and that there was nothing to worry about. He told her to keep him informed of their frequency and intensity and took Daryl to one side to explain what was going on._

Since then, she had felt them every now and then but they had become more regular in the last few hours, meaning she had been restless and irritable.

“It’ll soon be over. Believe me, it’s so worth it.” Carol smiled, handing the bottle back to her.

“I hope you’re right, because I am so sick of being pregnant.” Lena huffed, rolling her eyes. “I miss my toned stomach and sex life.”

Carol cleared her throat and side glanced at her.

“You know, you can still-”

“Oh, I know. I mean-I’m just…we have. We do. I’m just complaining for complaining sake. Ignore me.” She rambled, feeling slightly embarrassed at her outburst.

_He was always wary of initiating anything, her pregnancy still making him slightly uncomfortable and nervous. She had got around it by being the brave one, making all the first moves and constantly reassuring him. But when it all got too much for her, she had asked him outright for a second time if he still thought her attractive. Only this time, there was no apologies or backtracking, she looked him straight in the eye and demanded an answer. He had reminded her, as he had in the stable the first time, that he thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and promised her that he was just concerned about hurting her._

_In the days since their chat, she had noticed that during the nights Daryl would sleep with his arm linked over her middle and his face nestled into her neck. Sometimes, he would place a hand on her bump and fan his fingers out, which would make her smile to herself in the darkness of their cell._

Lena quickly grabbed Carols hand and began smoothing it around on her now large and prominent stomach. Her oversized black T-shirt did well at hiding it while she was stood up, but when she sat down it could be seen it all of its glory. Eventually, she stopped moving Carol’s hand and pressed it to the underside of the bump. Her face lit up when she felt a flutter under her fingers.

“Oh, I just never get tired of feeling that. It’s precious.” She gushed as Lena smiled thinly.

_Lena had been in Cleo’s stable one day and had experienced what felt like large butterflies flapping away in her stomach. She had quickly shuffled to the door and bellowed at the top of her voice for someone to find Daryl. Carl had sprinted across the yard and darted into the other block, only to emerge two seconds later with Daryl behind him. He was in front of her within seconds, worried and disheveled but calmed instantly when she snatched his hand and positioned it just in the right place for him to feel the vibrations from inside. She told him she was sorry to panic him and that she just didn’t want him to miss it. He stood in complete silence, his mouth dropping open and his blue eyes seeming brighter._

“She’s always on the move these days.” Lena commented as Carol took her hand back.

She reached up and grabbed the handrail, hoisting herself to her feet. On the ground below, Daryl paced around the perimeter of the group, occasionally offering a suggestion and backing Rick up from time to time. He noticed straight away that she was on her feet and walked to the bottom of the steps.

“Calm down, I’m fine.” She called out to him.

Rick and the others were now embroiled in a heated debate over what to do about the infection and Carol had remained in her spot away from everyone else. Lena suspected it was because her views on the matter were as controversial as her own, possibly even the same. And so, the two women had managed to refrain from voicing any opinions. Lena slowly descended the stairs and headed for the door on the other side of the room.

“Where ya goin?” Daryl asked, taking her hand as she passed him.

“I’m tired, and I need to pee. Again.” She said curtly.

“Lena” Rick called out to her, the rest of the room was falling quiet. “Can we have your opinion on this, please?”

“You don’t want my opinion on this, Rick.” She assured him.

“Actually, I do.” Rick shot back, his expression serious and firm. “You’ve been involved in a lot of the decision making for this group. So yes, I want your opinion.”

Lena looked from Daryl and up to Carol who was slowly rubbing her hands together in her lap.

“Alright. But you’re not going to like it.” She warned. “This virus, infection, whatever it is, has been around for months now. The first people to get it are now on deaths door and we don’t even know what it is, let alone how to treat it. I suspect it has come from Woodbury as it only became an issue after we took in a bus load of refugees. What happens when people start dying of this thing? They’ll turn. That’s what happens. They’ll become a danger to us all. To Hershel, to the volunteers in that infirmary, to you, To Carl, to Judith, and to mine and Daryl’s baby. You want my opinion? Send them away. Even better, shoot them. All of them. Before they reanimate and start trying to eat us. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to pee for the millionth time today and I am exhausted. Good luck.”

She turned to Daryl, who was stood with his head low but his eyes scanning the room of shocked faces. With her index finger extended, she jabbed him in the chest.

“Your kid is dancing a fucking jig on my bladder. I’ll see you later.” She snapped before shoving the door open and disappearing into the night.

 

***** 

 

The cell that was to become the baby’s room had been lovingly painted with gray and yellow paint in thick, horizontal stripes that matched the colors of the crib and Moses basket Daryl had found. He had assembled some shelves and painted them white before fastening them to the wall and filling them with books along with dragging a leather chair in from an office deep within the prison to leave in the corner of the room. Lena now sat on that chair, her hands resting on her bump as she thought about what she had said in front of the whole group. She hadn’t meant it to come out as such a cold and heartless idea, she had been irritable, uncomfortable and tired of the constant disagreements and quarrelling she had witnessed. Getting to her feet, she folded a blanket over the bars of the crib and gently moved the baby bouncer on the floor, watching as it rhythmically moved up and down. Glenn had brought it back from a run. He had rambled apologies about it being ripped and stained and Lena had waved him off, told him not to be stupid and that she was extremely touched that he had thought of the baby. Maggie and Beth had restored the cover with some spare clothes from the clothes store and she now had a yellow, flannel baby bouncer that fitted perfectly with the décor. Sometimes, she couldn’t help but feel guilty that little Judith never seemed to have the same luxuries, but what she was getting, was a playmate and potential lifelong friend.

The door to the block slammed shut and she heard Daryl’s footsteps thud down the hall. She could always tell it was him, she knew so much about him she could now even identify his footsteps. When he came into view, she had moved to the table in the centre of the room and propped her feet up on the seat below. He stopped in front of her, leaning into her and kissing the side of her face.

“I was harsh” she whispered.

“Naw. Worlds harsh. Somebody needed to say it. Hell, Carol agreed with ya, so did I.” He assured her.

Suddenly, she snatched his hand and placed it on her stomach just as the baby kicked. Daryl’s face softened immediately. She did this a lot, never wanting him to miss a thing and knowing that he loved being able to feel his baby moving around. She sucked in a sharp breath.

“Ya alright?” He asked.

“Yeah. Kids got sharp elbows” She chuckled quietly.

“Ya had any more of those pains?” He enquired.

“Yeah, they’re getting more frequent. I was going to go and see Hershel in the morning.” She told him.

“I’ll go with ya.” He said, taking his hand away from her stomach.

She sighed and nibbled on her thumbnail, much like he did when he was in deep thought. He wrapped his fingers around hers by her face, gently tugged her hand away and kissed her lips tenderly. She smiled into the kiss, enjoying every second of his random moment of affection. Feeling him pushing himself closer to her, she moved her legs so he could settle between them and slipped her hands down to his hips, drawing him close by the waistband of his pants. His kiss intensified and she found his hands were all over her neck, her sides, and her waist, searching her. She pulled back and looked him in the eye but said nothing, able to read exactly what he was thinking and not wanting to question what appeared to be him initiating something. He brought a hand to her face, using the tip of his index finger to trace a line down from her jawline to her chest, nudging the loose neck of her T-shirt down.

“Daryl” she finally managed “Do you want to meet your child?”

“Yeah. I really do.” He replied, connecting his forehead with hers.

“Well, apparently, sex induces labor.” She whispered.

His hand came to her face again, this time bumping his fingers over her lip ring. She saw him smiling shyly.

“It does, huh?” He uttered.

“Yes”

He rubbed his nose on hers, their breathing matching one another in shallow, slow panting.

“What about ya pains?” He probed cautiously.

“No pain right now.” She smiled.

“Then let’s meet our kid.” He breathed.

*****

In the night, the sound of gunfire caused Lena to sit bolt upright in bed, her ears straining to hear more. Daryl sat up beside her and rubbed his face before he jumped out of bed and started putting his clothes on. Lena shuffled to the edge of the mattress to follow him.

“No” he barked at her “you’re staying here”

More gunshots. Lena wanted to spring up and grab her pants and her weapons.

“Somethings happening. I could help.” She tried, knowing what the response would be but wanting to try anyway.

“No.” He repeated, stepping in front of her as he buttoned his jeans. He took hold of her chin in his fingers and tilted her head back so she was looking up at him in the grey light. “That’s my son or daughter in there. Please. Just stay here.”

“OK” she nodded as she watched him step back and drag his shirt and vest on. He grabbed his crossbow and left the cell.

Gunshots again. Screaming. Lena’s skin itched, she wanted to go. She needed to go. She couldn’t just sit there and not help. She tapped her fingers on her knees as she listened to yet more shots ring out. What if people died? What if terrible things were happening and she could help stop them? What if something happened to Hershel? Who would deliver her baby? There were too many questions. She had to go. She couldn’t stay there.

She got to her feet then stopped moving completely. Something was trickling down her leg. She glanced down and her eyes widened. Her shorts were soaked and a clear liquid was pooling on the floor.

“Oh…great timing, Kid!” she huffed to herself. Then, it occurred to her, the pains she’d been having in the last few hours weren’t Braxton Hicks, they were real. Feeling nothing too intense at that point, she figured she had a decent amount of time to get to the next block and find out what was going on before anything got any worse. She dressed and grabbed a sword; the gunshots and screaming had increased in volume by the time she had managed to tie her laces.

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her out of the cell, out of the block and across the yard. As she tumbled through the door to the communal area, she found it empty, the sounds of shots coming from deep inside the prison and the area that the Woodbury community lived in. She crept into the communal area, cups and plates were left abandoned on the table, the doors all open as if everyone had left in a hurry. Lanterns and candles were lit along the wall and Lena was thankful for them to light her way. She gripped her sword in both hands like a vice, hearing the snarling and gurgling of a Walker somewhere in the vicinity as she neared the row of cells that people were using as bedrooms. She kept her back to the bars as she cleared each one, ducking inside and being ready to swipe with her sword. Her stomach felt odd and achy as she moved and she was sure she could feel a contraction coming. Pushing the notion to one side, she knew she had to get to the end of the row and find the Walker, eliminate it and then head through the door at the end and find the others.

The noise was getting louder and she knew she was drawing near. Reaching the final cell, she took a deep breath and swung inside, sword held up and ready to attack. But she saw nothing, just some bedsheets thrown on the ground and an empty cell. Sighing, she stepped inside and listened.

A hand shot out from under the bedsheets on the floor, seizing her ankle and tugging firmly enough to bring her to one knee. A walker inched out from under the blankets and Lena tried her best to tear her ankle away and scurry backwards, her sword falling from her hand and clattering to the floor. Her stomach lurched and the air was sucked from her lungs when a searing, twisted pain shot through her abdomen. She cried out and one hand clamped over her bump while the other frantically searched for her sword. Fear pummeled through her veins and her mind flashed with panic.

_Stay calm. You’ve got this. Don’t panic. I’m panicking. I’m going to die. I’m going to die and my baby is going to die and Daryl won’t get to be a father. I’m going to die._

Her hand found the handle of the sword just as the Walker was crawling over her, its jaws parted and its teeth inches from her leg. She recognized it. A young, pretty red head from Woodbury that she had previously seen wink at Daryl in the yard as she passed him working on his bike. His toned arms had glistened in the sun, smeared with grease and dirt and his floppy hair was draped in front of his face. Lena couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow herself at the appealing sight. _A fine specimen._ She had thought. _I can’t really blame her._

The woman had been met with a confused look and not much else, while Lena and Sasha had giggled at the scene from the guard tower. She knew from that moment that another woman would never be the kind of issue they’d have to face as a couple, Daryl saw her and only her and while a few of the females from Woodbury had noticed him and she’d witnessed girly, gossipy conversations about him, any flirtatious attempts by anyone other than her went unnoticed or just seemed to confuse him.

She lifted her hand, trying not to focus on the unbearable pain in her stomach. Her throat was sore and it occurred to her that it was because she was yelling. Shouting herself hoarse as she brought the blade down on the dead woman’s head and burying it in her skull with a sickening and loud thud. She withdrew it and hacked at it once more for luck, blood flicking across the room, ricocheting off the walls and splattering across Lena’s face. When the Walker stopped moving and slumped on top of her legs, tears filled her eyes and a rush of emotion swept other her that she couldn’t control. Her chest heaved and she grabbed the corpses head and shoved it out of the way, half its skull falling away where she had cut it in half. Brain matter oozed out on to the floor and Lena’s top lip curled in disgust as tears covered her cheeks.

“You’re not his type. Bitch.” She sniffed.

“Lena?!” A voice from the door, worried and surprised. Lena glanced up, blinking and squinting through the tears. It was Glenn. All at once, she felt the need to tell him everything that was going on in her head.

“My water broke. The baby is coming. I put her down. She’s dead. She was a-a Walker. Before, she flirted with Daryl. I’m having contractions. I-I need Hershel. I-I need him. W-where is Daryl? Get Daryl.” She rambled, almost incoherent.

“OK, OK” He hushed, waving his hands at her “You gotta calm down, I’m going to get Hershel.

“NO!” She yelled out of the blue. “You-you can’t. Don’t leave me, Glenn. You have to get me back to my block and close the door. It’s safe. I-I can’t be here. I’m not having this baby here.”

“Alright. Just, try and stay calm. I won’t leave you. Let’s get you on your feet. C’mon.” he cooed as he leaned down and linked an arm under hers, hoisting her to her feet. She had no choice but to let him take most of her weight when she cried out in pain again, staggering forwards. Glenn held onto her as tight as he could and began shuffling her out of the cell.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

“Uh…someone died in the infirmary. It looks like they turned and bit one of the volunteers and the door got left open somehow. It spread pretty quick.” He explained.

“Is everyone OK? Is Daryl OK?” She questioned, her eyes filled with worry.

“Daryl’s OK. He’s with Rick. Everyone’s Good. Just focus on trying to walk.” He encouraged.

They hobbled out of the main door and were halfway across the yard when Glenn shouted out Maggie’s name. She seemed to appear out of nowhere, running as fast as she could to Lena’s side and taking her other arm. The three of them eventually made it to the door of Lena’s block when Maggie told Glenn to go and find Hershel and she would stay with Lena. As she went to race off to the building, Glenn called back to her.

“Maggie! Clean the blood off of her and when he gets there, don’t tell Daryl where I found her. She was in her cell, OK?”

Maggie regarded him with confusion for a moment before the penny dropped, she nodded.

“G-Glenn?” Lena wheezed

“Yeah?” He answered.

“Thank you.” She said sincerely.

Maggie managed to get her to the cell and covered the bed with towels, preparing things as best as she knew how while she waited with baited breath for her father to get there. She cleaned the blood from Lena’s face but didn’t gloss over the fact that she thought she was wrong to ignore Daryl and go off on her own. Lena couldn’t help but agree, but still made Maggie promise not to mention it.

“Believe me, when this baby is born, it’s not even going to matter anymore.” Maggie told her.

 

*****

 

When Glen finally found Hershel, he was tending to a wounded man in the hallway, Glenn took one look at the man, who had a broken ankle and placed a hand on Hershel’s shoulder.

“Dude, we need you.” He said

“You and everyone else in this block, Glenn.” Hershel replied.

“No, uh…It’s Lena. She went into labor. While she was fighting a Walker.”

Hershel shot up from his crouching position and stared at Glenn.

“She what?!” he exclaimed.

“Yeah, we’re not going to tell Daryl that part. You need to go, now. She’s in her block. Where is he? I need to find him”

“The infirmary I think.” Hershel called back while he was backing along the hall away from him. Glenn looked down at the injured man.

“Sorry, man. He’s uh…he’s gonna be right back.”

 

In the infirmary, Daryl was putting down the last Walker present when Glenn skidded into the room, and gripped onto the bars of a call for stability. His brow was sweaty and his knife drawn.

“Daryl!” he shouted.

Rick, Tyreese and Sasha were all present and they each turned to look at a breathless Glenn stood in the middle of the room. Daryl glanced over his shoulder, his face and neck flickered with blood. Glenn caught his eye.

“Lena went into Labor.” He said, more quietly than he’d intended but it didn’t need to be any louder. Daryl heard him as clear as day and was running out of the room before anyone else could register it. Sasha looked over at Tyreese with tear filled eyes and flashed him a smile.

“Oh my god!” She grinned.

“She’s in your block!” Glenn called after Daryl.

Rick and the others all gawped at one another for a few seconds in the now quiet room. Minutes before, it had been loud and dangerous and now, all anyone could think about was the baby that was about to be born into the apocalypse.

“Looks like all the infected have been killed.” Tyresse pointed out.

“Yeah” Rick sighed. “Not exactly the solution I was pushing for. Alright, let’s gather the wounded, get them patched up, then we can all wait for the new arrival”

 

*****

 

During Lena’s labor, Hershel had instructed Maggie to let down the drapes to give them some privacy. She had flat refused to let Daryl in, preferring to go it alone and not wanting him to see her at first. She needed to know he was outside waiting, but didn’t want him to see anything. When Hershel had sat by her side, held her hand and explained that Daryl should be with her during the process, she considered his argument. She agreed that she would need his support and encouragement and as squeamish and worried as she was about him witnessing everything, she wouldn’t want to rob him of the chance to see his child enter the world. Finally, she had given Maggie the nod, who had wandered out into the main part of the block to find Daryl sat with Carol on a table. His knees were bobbing up and down rapidly and his hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. He nibbled on his thumb. Everything stopped when he saw Maggie leave the cell and walk over to him.

“She’s asking for you.” She smiled, gently putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it lightly.

“She is?” He asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

“She just needed some time to get used to the idea. She’s never done this before. You gotta hold it together for her though. Think you can do that?” She queried.

Daryl’s eyes flickered around the room and he resumed his nibbling on his thumb. Carol grabbed his wrist and forced his hand away from his face, giving him a serious look.

“C’mon, you can do this. Get in there. You’re going to be a father soon.” She told him firmly. The more he witnessed her stern and determined face, the more he believed he could do it. She had instilled some faith in him when it had completely vanished previously.

Lena’s screams rattled through the block as another contraction hit. With every strangled, piercing yell a piece of Daryl fell away at the thought of her being in so much pain. It was torture to listen to. He closed his eyes and waited for it to pass.

“Daryl, she needs you.” Meggie pressed.

His eyes snapped open and he nodded, taking a deep breath.

“Alright. Alright, I’m goin’.” He sighed.

 

***** 

 

Hours had passed. Daryl’s hand was crushed by the vice like grip she had on him. She had screamed so loud he was sure every Walker in the state could hear her. She had given up three times, telling Hershel to leave and that she’d changed her mind, the baby would just have to stay in there. Then, she turned on Daryl, informing him that he was never to touch her again because more babies were not an option. He had nodded and agreed and said everything he thought she wanted him to say. He encouraged her, soothed her, listened to her rage and her pain but he didn’t leave once and when the high-pitched cries of a baby rose up from the bottom of the bed, his eyes had filled with tears and he’d grown very, very quiet.

Hershel had cut the cord and hurried the baby away from them as quickly as he could to check everything was OK. Lena had protested, asking where he was taking her child. Maggie calmed her and proceeded to shield their view and aside from the cries of a newborn baby, only hushed murmurs could be heard from the table in the corner of the cell. Lena’s head thumped back on the pillow and Daryl leaned down to her, brushing the front of her hair back and kissing her sweaty forehead. Neither of them said anything while they stayed there, Daryl snuggling the side of her face as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

It felt like an eternity to her before Hershel finally turned around and placed her half-swaddled baby on her chest. Everything in her mind, in her memories, in her past had suddenly dissipated. Vanished into thin air because it no longer mattered. She no longer mattered. The tiny human being that they had created that was now laid on her chest was the most important and most precious thing in the world. While the dead roamed the planet, while the horrors of the end still trundled past their fences, she held onto something that she had struggled to believe even existed anymore. Hope.

“A healthy baby girl.” Hershel Beamed. “Congratulations.”

Lena tearfully clutched her daughter in her hands. She was so small, so tiny and she had never considered her own hands to be so huge before, but when compared to something so delicate, she couldn’t quite believe it. She thought she must have rambled something like ‘oh my god’ around sixty times but wasn’t quite sure, she couldn’t remember in her happy haze. She looked up at Daryl, her heart lurching when she noticed he was completely frozen. Every muscle in his body still and his jaw clenched. Hershel and Maggie quietly left the room to allow them some space and Daryl suddenly stood up and began to pace, his eyes almost blank.

“Come here” Lena sniffed.

He stopped. Wide eyed. His chest rising and falling as if he were starting to hyperventilate.

“It’s OK.” She whispered. “Come here.”

Slowly and with a great degree of hesitancy, he moved back towards the bed, sitting on the edge. Lena tried her best to sit up as gently as possible and carefully lifted the baby into his arms. Small gurgles and little groans brought a huge smile to Lena’s face as their little girl settled into Daryl’s embrace.

“You’re a daddy.” She uttered, kissing his bicep while he stared down at the new life that was wriggling in his grasp.

He still said nothing and she figured he would need a while to let everything sink in. If she was completely honest with herself, so did she. In his eyes, she could see nothing but awe and devotion for the small child that now curled her miniscule hand around his index finger as he tenderly felt over her soft chin.

 

After being left alone for around an hour with only Hershel dropping in for a few minutes to check the baby over, Maggie drew the drape back to see Daryl and Lena both sat on the bed, Lena snuggled under his arm with their little girl asleep on her chest. Daryl was stroking the top of Lena’s hair over and over, he looked up when he saw the drape move.

“Everything OK?” Maggie asked.

Daryl nodded.

“Carol is dying of anticipation out here, can she come in?” She requested.

Lena smiled and started to sit up. “Yeah, send her in” She confirmed, looking up at Daryl. “You ready?”

He nodded again, giving her a small smile, the tip of his finger still being clasped by the small hand. He had made to attempt to move, to him, it was the most amazing feeling in the world. After a few seconds, Carol emerged in the doorway. Lena didn’t think she’d ever seen her smile so widely before; her face was bright and her eyebrows shot up. She neared the bed and placed a hand on Daryl’s arm.

“Oh my god” She whispered.

“Here, you should hold her” Lena informed her, gently shifting the baby from her chest and re-wrapping her blanket. Carol held out her arms and sat on the edge of the mattress, sucking in a slow gasp as the tiny life was put into her arms.

“Ooh, hi, little girl” She whispered “Welcome to the family.”

Lena tried to hold back tears as Carol stroked the soft, fine dark hair on her daughter’s head.

“You are so beautiful.” Carol cooed.

“She’s got her mama’s looks.” Said Daryl. It was the first thing he had said as he slowly looked to his side at Lena. “Thankfully.”

Lena giggled and kissed his bicep. Finally, the shell shock seemed to be wearing off.

“She’s got your eyes.” She told him “That’s a good thing.”

The two of them exchanged a knowing glance as they watched Carol get up and start to slowly move around the room, chattering quietly to their baby and telling her all about the people she was going to meet. She told her all of their names and what they were like. She told her about Cleo and about Judith, how she would have a best friend to grow up with and a huge family to watch over her.

Lena nudged Daryl’s arm and he leaned down to her. “You should be the one to ask her.” She whispered into his ear. His expression was wary, he wanted Lena to be a part of this too, but she motioned to Carol with a flick of her head and sat back on the pillows.

“Uh, Carol” Daryl stammered.

She stopped in the middle of the room, bouncing the baby gently with a hand placed on her front.

“Got somethin’ to ask ya.”

Carols eyes darted from Daryl to Lena as she waited for him to continue.

“Her name, she’s gonna be called Isabella. Bella for short. But we wanted her to have a middle name too. So, we wanted to ask if you were good with, uh…if we called her Isabella Sophia Dixon.” He revealed.

Carols eyes glazed over and tears started to run down her cheeks. She pressed her lips together and her eyes raised to the ceiling as she tried to stop salty tears from escaping and falling on the baby.

“Wanted to honor your little girl.” Daryl added.

A loud sniff came from Carol as she slightly turned her head away from them, not wanting them to see her falling apart at the overwhelming gesture that was them asking to use her late daughters name for the new baby they had brought into the world. Once she felt like she had composed herself enough, she turned back to them.

“Of course.” She sniffed. “Thank you. It’s a wonderful name. All of it. I’ll never be able to tell you how much that means to me.”

 

*****

 

Visitors came and went and Lena and Daryl were exhausted, especially Lena, who had slept for hours and hours while Daryl sat in the corner of Isabella’s room and watched her wriggle about in her crib. She had been fed, changed and they’d both had their first shot at a game they would be playing a lot from now on. ‘Guess why the baby is crying.’

His bones were heavy, his mind scrambled and his eyes sore but he would not sleep. He didn’t want to spend a moment away from her. Afraid that if he closed his eyes for even a second, she would vanish into thin air and the whole thing would have to be put down to an elaborate dream.

He had been reluctant to let anyone hold her for more than a few minutes, but had found that he had to let the others have their time. Isabella’s presence in the prison had somehow overshadowed all of the bad things, all of the death and the despair. People were smiling again. He had sat with Rick in the middle of the room and witnessed him rock her to sleep. They had talked quietly and Daryl had been served with a few words of advice and a promise that Rick would help in any way he could. Daryl had expressed that Isabella seemed to like her Uncle Rick and those words alone had almost set in stone a brotherly bond between the two men that Daryl hadn’t realized that he needed so much since the loss of Merle.

Sasha spent time with Lena, curled up on the other end of the bed while Isabella lay between them. Neither of them talked much, they just stared and giggled softly. But Sasha had told Lena that she was proud of her which had earned her a confession that no one thought would ever come from Lena for the rest of her life.

“You’re my best friend”

Having spent so much time distancing herself from people and claiming she wasn’t scared of anything, Lena could now see more clearly than ever that she had been afraid the whole time. Afraid to feel, afraid to find connections, afraid to let herself go, afraid to trust, to love and to take a chance on the notion that not everyone was going to go away in the end.

When she had stirred from their cell and managed to get herself up and dressed, she asked Daryl how he felt about taking Isabella to see Cleo. He didn’t protest, instead scooping her from her crib, wrapping her up warm and following Lena out into the evening light.

Cleo was nibbling on grass at the top of her yard, her head shot up when she saw them approach. Lena stopped a few feet from her and Daryl did the same.

“Let her come to us.” She instructed.

Cleo tentatively crept forwards, her head rearing up and dipping again with each step. Her mane flickered and rippled and her ears twitched. Reaching Daryl first, she sniffed over his outstretched hand and along his arm before breaking away and finding Lena, who protectively swept an arm between the horse’s nose and Isabella who was wriggling in her grasp.

“Gentle, Cleo.” She soothed, slowly moving her arm away.

Cleo’s velvety nose brushed against the skin of Isabella’s elbow and Daryl was stunned to see the entirety of the animal’s body stop moving, except for the tail and nose. He stepped back for a clearer look and furrowed his brow.

“Remember her? You knew she was there before” Lena smiled as she observed Cleo’s eyes moving slowly around as if she had discovered something completely unfathomable. She drew in a loud sniff, dropped her head and snorted. Lena laughed softly and looked at Daryl.

“Think she likes her human sister.”

“Yeah, aint never seen a horse do that before.” He admitted.

“Well, she’s one of a kind.”

They wandered to the wall next to Cleo’s stable, sitting on some boxes and looking up at the sky. Lena had passed Isabella to Daryl and she had drifted off to sleep as he leaned back against the wall. Streaks of yellow, orange and pink flooded the horizon like a watercolor painting and the prison was quiet except for the footsteps of Rick and Carl, who were filling a cart full of vegetables to take back inside across the yard.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” Daryl blurted out, completely out of the blue.

Her head snapped around to find him not focusing on anything in particular, his eyes shiny and wet with tears. She knew this feeling, she had been through it herself both before the baby was born and at times afterwards. She knew what it felt like and she knew it wasn’t him telling her he wanted out.

“Hey” She pressed “Look at me.”

He swallowed hard. “No”

“OK, then just listen to me.” She suggested. She turned her body to face him and positioned her hand on his arm, just above Isabella’s head.

“Remember what you said to me before. You said we were going to be better than our parents.” She started. His jaw tightened as he tried to push away the emotions that were clawing to get out.

“We _are_ going to be better than our parents. Isabella is never going to be made to feel like she’s a disappointment by me, she is never going to be physically or emotionally hurt by you and do you know why? Because we’re _not_ our parents. We have a chance to right all those wrongs and do this the right way. You can do this, I know you can because I know you, Daryl. If I could have chosen a role model for my daughter, I would have chosen you.”

Her grip on his arm tightened and he lowered his head, peering down at his sleeping daughter as he continued to listen to Lena.

“You’re brave and strong and your have honor. You care about everyone else more than you care about yourself. You’re sensitive and it makes you real, so real that you can’t stand it. You push it away and pretend it’s not there but it’s part of what makes you, you. We didn’t just have a baby, we changed everything. For us and for everyone else. We have to protect her, we have to show her what it is to be a good person, to do the right thing. She has a massive advantage, just like Judith, she was born into this world. She never saw it the way it was before, this is normal to her and that means she will have no choice but to thrive in it. You are the exception, you knew hardship before this, so you can show her how to survive and prosper. This isn’t our world anymore, it’s hers and it’s Judith’s. She’s more than just a new addition to this family, she’s the future, she represents something none of us thought was still there, hope. We created that, you and I.”

Now he was looking at her, unafraid of the tear that had escaped one eye, he was transfixed by her words, her stance on everything had changed so much and he couldn’t deny that it was all down to their connection. A connection so strong and unexpected that it had forced them both to look at themselves and who they really were.

“You can do this, Daryl. You’re going to teach her how to hunt, and shoot a crossbow, how to ride a motorcycle and how to build things, how to see the world from a realistic point of view. You’re going to teach her how to defend herself, how to drink hard liquor and how to cuss like a true Redneck and if she ever gets a boyfriend, you’re going to be there to threaten to put a bolt between his eyes if he hurts her. You have to do this, because you’re her father and you’re going to be amazing at it.”

Lena felt like she had been talking for a long time and the reality of it was that she actually had been. But by the expression on Daryl’s face, she knew it had worked. He was still staring at her and she waited, like she had learned to do so many times before. Wait and he will speak. Give him time. He needs to adjust.

“I love you.” He finally said.

“I love you too.” She grinned.

“There’s um, somethin’ else I wanna say to you.” He stuttered uncomfortably. “What you did, in that cell a few hours ago, it was amazin’. Proud of ya”

Not knowing what to say to such an unexpected comment, Lena bit her lip and smiled. “Thanks, but it takes two to make a baby.”

“Maybe” He said, smiling back at her. “But I just had a little fun one day, you did all the hard work.”

“You can return the favor by being on Diaper duty-.”

“I’m serious.” He interrupted. “Thank you…for giving me my little girl.”

Her mouth dropped open, she hadn’t expected him to express something so profound. Daryl had never been great with words but as time had gone on, he had learned, he had tried and now it seemed he had finally mastered the art of making her cry with a simple, short sentence.

“Daryl” She sniffed “We did this together, so thank you too. My emotions and hormones are still all over the place so thank you also for turning me into a wreck.” She laughed, wiping at her face with her sleeves.

“She’s pretty awesome” He said quietly.

“She kinda looks like a wrinkly old man but she’ll do.” She quipped

Daryl laughed and gently tickled the baby’s fingers with his index finger. She grabbed hold of his fingertips and Lena saw something in him change. He was softer now and she couldn’t sense fear or anticipation anymore.

“Naw. She’s beautiful like you.”

Lena shuffled closer to him, pushing her hand through the back of his arm and nuzzling against his neck. She gently kissed his skin and rested her head on his shoulder while they quietly watched the sky darken. The moon had appeared in the distance and the silhouette of tree branches cracked across it’s bright glow.

“Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush” She whispered, seeing Daryl smile from her peripheral vision.

He looked to his side at her, she knew ‘Goodnight Moon’ by heart, just like he did.

“Goodnight to the ol’ lady whispering ‘hush’.” He added.

“Goodnight stars, goodnight air.”

“Goodnight noises everywhere.”

It is only when darkness consumes our minds, or vision, or world, that we are able to see the stars above us and how the moon still casts light on the earth below. In our darkness, we must accept disappointment, we must accept death, we must accept struggle. But even when clouds obscure our light, even in the most desperate of times, amongst the ruins of humanity and ourselves, can treasure be found. And that treasure, is hope.  


End file.
